Gay Times May 2015 UK

Michael Urie / Imelda Staunton / David Beckham / Kelly Clarkson / Josh Groban

THE BODY ISSUE
WHAT YOU REALLY
THINK ABOUT
YOUR BODY!

Bad boys ink

Why do we love
the tattoo look?

Hair today...

How do you cope
with the fall out?

Katie Price

Would you pay to
look like her?

Years & Years

Meet the gay
new face of pop

£ 7 ) ■<

Daredevil

Charlie Cox
Marvel’s here

GE15

CAMERON,
MILIBAND
AND CLEGG
ANSWER YOUR
QUESTIONS

OUTRAGEOUS

UNDERWEAR

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n n ^ @ □

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Editor DARREN SCOTT
Assistant Editor RYAN BUTCHER
Editoriai Assistant WILLIAM CONNOLLY
Design & Art Direction MARK KING
Editor-at-large JOHN MARRS
Style STEPHEN CONWAY
Music BOB HENDERSON

Columnists 2 LOVELY GAYS, LUKE ALEXANDER,
MICHAELALIG, PJ BRENNAN, BENJAMIN COHEN,
GASTRO GAYS, THE GUYLINER, CHRIS JONES, EDD
KIMBER, MICHELLE VISAGE, MIKEY WALSH
Contributors MICHAEL AMATT, DR HARPAL BAINS,
EDDIE BLAGROUGH, JAMES BURTON, BENJAMIN
BUTTERWORTH, SIMON BUTTON, MARK BYRON,
CHARELLE CAWTHORN, MATT CROCKETT, EDWARD
DYSON, ROBERT GERSHINSON, MIKE HIRD,

EVAN HUANG, ALISON KYLE, THOMAS LING, JOE
MCCORMICK, SIAN MACLEOD, CHRIS MANDLE, TIM
MITCHELL, JUSTIN MYERS, MATT RISLEY, LUKE
SMITH, DR ANITA STURNHAM, LILY-BETH THAKE
Pug-at-large TOBY
Cover image ARMANDO GALLO

Thanks to KATHERINE BAWDEN (Warner Music),
MATTHEW BENNETT (Steve Reed MP), ANNABEL
CROWHURST (Toast Press), KATIE DANIELS (Coty),

BETH DRAKE (Toast Press), MYRDDIN EDWARDS (Liberal
Democrats), GRACE FUNG (Coty), CAROLINE GRAY (Mike
Freer MP), CHARLOTTE KELLOWAY (Liberal Democrats),
TERESA KOWALSKI (DDA PR), MARTIN KYRAN (Foal
Brand Grooming), MATTHEW LAZA (Labour Party),
SPENCER LIVERMORE (Labour Party), ALEXANDER
MILWARD (Kate Morley PR), ARABELLA NEVILLE-
ROLFE (Target Live), STU OAKLEY (Disney), WILLIAM
PETT (Stephen Williams MP), ASHLEIGH RICHARDSON
(Disney), MICHAEL SALTER (Prime Minister’s Office),
JANINE SHALOM (Premier), PETER DA SILVA (Boutique
Da Silva), JAMES STEWART (Labour Party)

Design & Production Manager
ALEXANDER SMITH

Media Copy Sales & Marketing Manager
GAVIN MURPHY

Management Accountant ARNAUD SEGUIN

GT Advertising Sales ASH ALLIBHAI

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Editorial e-mail edit@gaytimes.co.uk
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Website gaytimes.co.uk
Postal address GT, Spectrum House, Unit M,

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Gay Times magazine was founded in 1984
by CHRIS GRAHAM-BELL and ALEX MCKENNA

© 2015 GAY TIMES All rights reserved ISSN: 0950-6101

The mention or appearance or likeness of any person or organisation in articles
or advertising in GAY TIMES is not to be taken as any indication of the sexual,
social or political orientation of such persons or organisations. “Stop relying on
that bodyl” No responsibility can be assumed for any unsolicited materials, and
submission is construed as permission to publish without further correspondence
and the fee payable (if any) at our usual rates. Advertisers are advised that all
copy is their sole responsibility under the Trades Protections Act and must
comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice. All rights reserved. No part
of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or
otherwise without the prior written permission of the publishers.

4GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[conierils]

first

06 GT Fitty
12 Michelle Visage
14 Josh Groban
16 David Beckham
20 Michael Urie
22 Mikey Walsh
24 Sweetie, Darling?

news

26 David Cameron
30 Ed Miliband
32 Nick Clegg

features

38 Chris Evans
46 The GT Body Survey
54 Body: Do you measure up?
58 Body: Hair today...

64 Body: Tattoos
70 Charlie Cox
74 Years and Years

style

80 Double trouble
84 Reece Noi
92 Grooming

entertainment

98 Kelly Clarkson
102 Imelda Staunton
104 Movies

107 Geek

108 Tech

real life

111 Readers’ Lives

112 Is the Price right?
117 Michael Alig

119 Benjamin Cohen

120 The Guyliner
123 Positive Luke

125 PJ Brennan

126 Fit with Chris Jones

131 2 Lovely Gays

132 Home style

134 Edd Kimber

135 Gastro Gays

136 Modern Family

travel

138 Newquay

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

I’ve never been, in
particular, all about being
‘fit’. By either definition.
Firstly, I’m quite lazy.
Secondly, I don’t believe
that having a ripped,
muscular body will make
me ‘fit’ in the sense of it making me attractive.

So I’ve just plodded along - sometimes literally
- as I am. While I’ve never been particularly
fat, I’ve certainly been significantly large at
times, and I’m definitely more than a little bit
wobbly now. I could spout some life-affirming
‘meme-esque’ quote about loving yourself,
and all that palaver, but if you don’t already,
you’re most likely not going to listen. As I write
this, I’ve started a ‘detox’. After I agreed to said
detox, I was told it would include a ‘work out’
three times a week. We’ll see about that. But
the point is, I’m willing to make a change - and
not because I want to have a summer body or
washboard abs. I just don’t want to go up another
size in trousers. Why’s that? That’s a state of
mind, surely. Because I’m not influenced by
bodies on billboards, posters or magazines.

And neither should you be... Everyone has their
body issues, and that’s what we’re looking at
this month, in an in-depth GT survey, as well as
several features focusing on other body parts
rather than just your torso. Of course, the other
significant change you could - or should - be
contributing to this month is more political than
physical, with the General Election looming.
Slightly condescending, I apologise, but please
vote. You have no right to complain if things
don’t go your way, otherwise. And then we’re
hopefully one step nearer towards one of us at
least being in better shape... ■

Darren Scott @darren_scott

SUBSCRIBE
AND SAVE
30%

ON THE
COVER PRICE
FOR DETAILS
SEE

PAGE 21

gaytimes. co.uk

GT5

6GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[first]

He spent most of
his time on The
Apprentice half-
naked and has
gone on to fill the
internet with his
topless self ies-
so what better
excuse than to
strip the reality
TV favourite and
snap him at this
best. Confidence
levels at breaking
point, Solomon
Akhtar is this
month’s GT Fftty...

Do you think your time on
The Apprentice reflected you
accurately? Yeah, definitely -
really accurately. The Apprentice
is one of those shows where it’s
real life; it’s not scripted. Getting to
the final five and being portrayed
like 1 was in real life was great.

Do you think being open and
vulnerable got you as far as you
did? 1 went into it not knowing what
to expect at all. And yeah, when 1
got thrown into a room with Nick,
Karen and Lord Sugar; I was in
awe. It was a massive moment for
me. 1 just kind of put a smile on my
face and cracked a few jokes, you
know? And I slipped up flirting
with a few girls.

And your onscreen bromance
with James, too? [Laughs] 1 know,

I have SO much love for that boy.
You know what, since the show,
James and 1 get on so well.

Have people continued to
interact with you since? I’m The
Apprentice candidate with the
most Twitter followers, other than
Mark the winner, which I’m really
proud of. Same on Instagram, too.
Like, I’m not afraid to take topless
pictures, or share random stuff

gaytimes.co.uk

GT7

from my life that’s happened.

Are topless pictures something
you’ve always posted? I prefer to
be topless and free than restrained
by clothes. 1 don’t just take loads of
topless selfies - 1 take them about
my life. So if I’m out and about,
or at a gig or something and I’m
taking a picture, or if I’m at home
just laying on my sofa topless, then
that’s just me relaxing. I quite like
to cook topless as well. When you
cook topless, it’s easier to clean up.
Clothes are optional with you,
then? Basically, yeah. [Laughs]

Are you happy with the way that
you look? Yeah, yeah, yeah! I’m
really confident with the way I look.
What one thing would you
change, if any? One thing I’d
change? I don’t know... I don’t think
I’d change anything. It’s good to be
happy with the body you’ve got.
Where’s the best place someone
could take you on a date? Oh my
God! My favourite date, definitely
the aquarium, 100%, ‘cos I love
fish. This is a massive talking
point if you’re on a date. I think
fish are quite like me - they’re
both active and random, and I can
resonate with that.

Where would be a big no-no? In a
cinema you don’t get that, you can’t
even see the person. But I did get
off with a girl in the cinema once,
on a first date when I was, like, 15.
How do you feel about guys
looking at all your pictures?

I have so many gay friends - it
doesn’t really matter if it’s girls
or boys. I mean. I’m straight, but I
don’t mind [laughs].

What are you doing now the
show has ended? I’m doing a
speaking tour around universities,
talking about business. And I’ve
also been doing evenings and
club events. Plus, a topless shoot
for GT! It’s a massive thing for
me... I haven’t done any topless
pictures before. Well, asides from
the selfies. ■

solomonakhtar.com, ©sollyakhtar

8GT

gaytimes.co.uk

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Move over PoMark...
Sorry Aidan TUmer, the
Beeb have got more
buff blokes up their
sleeves - and these
one’s are inked. In
fact, tattoos play more
than just a small part
in new drama Tatau,
which is on BBC Three
on Sundays. Kyle- Joe
Layton, pictured left,
in a vest, unfortunate
- got more than he
bargained for with his
new tribal marking...
New Zealand’s Alex
Tarrant, sans vest,
plays Maui. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

[first]

Until 19 July

Kick start your
spring at the
2015 Udderbelly
Festival at London’s
Southbank Centre.
From adult to kid’s
humour, Mock the
Week star Andrew
Maxwell leads you
through weeks of
hysterics, circus
and music acts.
udderbelly.co.uk ■

22-24 April

Oily Murs is coming
to Manchester for
three nights as
part of his 2015
UK tour. Singing
from his new album
Never Been Better
and backed by
an incredible live
band, this is a show
not to be missed,
manchester-arena.
com ■

30 April - 3 May

For a caffeine kick,
check out London
Coffee Festival.
More than 250
artisan coffee and
food stalls will host
tastings, demon-
strations, interactive
workshops and cof-
fee based cocktails
from world class
baristas, londoncof-
feefestival.com ■

30 April - 4 May

For the first long
weekend in May,
the Spirit of Spey-
side Whisky Festi-
val invites visitors
to join and enjoy
Scotland’s national
drink. The festival
promises a wide
ranging programme
of whiskey inspired
events. Hie. spiritof-
speyside.com ■

27 April - 2 May

Broadway smash
The Producers
graces the Bristol
Hippodrome as part
of its new tour. Star-
ring Jason Manford,
this hilarious show
sees the stars aim
to produce the
worst show ever.

All together now,
“Spring tiiiiime...”
atgtickets.com ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT11

[michelle visage] colu>^

K captivity and living in a

bus full of drag queens as
we trek across America. And I wanted to
take this opportunity to speak to you all
about something close to my heart. Yes,
a heart does live among this silicone.

Every night at shows I lose count of the
people who come up to me and quote
my catchphrase: ‘Stop relying on that
body...’

Interestingly enough, body issues have
had a huge impact on my life, just like
many of us. I continue to fight a daily

I’m FREE from CBB

the important thing is that I AM doing
it now! The people that listen to my
podcast with Ru have been there from
the very start of this road, and I thank
them for travelling down it with me.

But I have to say this: It makes me
SO sad, but mostly angry, when I
see people like my CBB buddy Katie
Hopkins making fun of people for
their size. I agree that it’s important to
draw attention to health and lifestyle
choices. I agree we all need to wage
a war on obesity. But WHY would
anyone feel that it’s OK to go online
and berate another human being just
because they don’t match up to their
specific standards? WHY is it OK to
name call? To me, it isn’t funny. To
me, it doesn’t get the job done. All it
does is call attention to the negative. It
sure as HELL doesn’t make an obese
person want to fight - it makes them
want to crawl into a hole and eat. I’ve
been there. It’s not effective and it’s
NOT humane.

We all make choices. I’d LOVE to
live in a world where making the
healthy choice was easy, but I know
that is not everyone’s reality. We all
struggle for our different reasons to
do what we know we ‘should’ do. Just
know this, no matter whether you
feel like you are too big, too small,
too short or too tall, you ARE loved.
Your health is your wealth, my babies.
We’re all in this together. YOU ARE
BEAUTIFUL, YOU ARE LOVED, YOU
ARE WORTH IT AND YOU CAN DO
THIS. You have my word. Everything
you need to succeed, you possess.

Tap into it, let it flow and watch
the magic unfold right before your
gorgeous eyes. I’m aware of how
difficult it is, I’m aware of how many
times we fall before we get back up
again. But please, NEVER give up
on yourself. NEVER forget to love
yourself first, even if there’s a bit extra
to love. It’s always worked for me.

Until next time, hit me up on Twitter
@michellevisage or at
michellevisage.com.

battle to choose the road to health, but
it’s SO difficult. Trust me, I know.

I have an auto-immune disease that I’m
working hard to cure through a vegan
gluten-free diet and healthy living,
instead of being a victim and sitting
idly by feeling like crap. I want to be
proactive in my life’s journey - and I’d
known for a long time that in order to
try and manage my symptoms, I had to
change my lifestyle. But guess what?

I DIDN’T! I knew what I had to do, but
making the change required me to focus.
Of course I wish I’d done it sooner, but

12 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

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T he publicly-crowned

Voice of an Angel is more
of a devilish yelp when
GT tells Josh Groban
that doing an album of show tunes
makes him an honorary gay man.
“Excellent!” he exclaims. “Perfect! Is
there a trophy that comes with that?

My mantel is pretty empty so 1 could
use a trophy or two.”

That’s hard to believe actually,
since the 34-year-old Californian has
shifted 25 millions record around the
globe, so he must have multi-platinum
plaques aplenty, although the guy
with the beautiful baritone has yet to
grab a Grammy.

We doubt he’s upset about that.
Topping the US album charts
thrice and making the top ten a
further three times must be fair
compensation, as is getting to duet
- live and in person on a Hollywood
scoring stage - with Barbra
Streisand, which Josh did when he
duetted with Babs on the anthemic
Somewhere on her Partners album.

“There’s nothing like looking to your
right and seeing Barbra Streisand
and a 100-person orchestra just as
it’s your turn to hit the high note,” he
practically coos. “It’s daunting and
you have to psyche yourself up, but
it’s great when you get to stand next to
a legend like that.”

So what is Babs really like? “She’s an
extraordinarily strong-minded artist,”
is how Josh diplomatically sings her
praises. “She wants what she does to
be perfect, she wants it to be great,
and her process is amazing to watch
because she’s old school in her
approach to telling the stories in the
songs. She’s meticulous about every
word and every line.”

He doesn’t see Streisand as a diva,
just a perfectionist. And Josh, who
performed in shows at school and
released his debut album when he
was just 20 years old, bursts out
laughing when asked if he has any
diva demands of his own. “Just tea
and water. 1 try to spend as little time
in the dressing room as possible. 1
don’t need a yoga teacher in there.”

He can be cranky when he’s jet
lagged. “There’s nothing worse
than having just three hours sleep,
low blood sugar and having to go
out and sing a high note.” But what
really gets Josh’s goat is technical
incompetence. “I’m only a diva when
it comes to making sure everything is
plugged in correctly. If the production
or the sound or the mic or whatever
means it’ll be less of an enjoyable
experience for the listener I’ll stand
my ground. It’s very easy to cut
corners, with a budget for this or a
budget for that, and it’s easy to forget
the important, simple things.”

Everything went swimmingly during
the recording of the new album, a
collection of musical theatre songs
called Stages that covers classics -
Over The Rainbow, Empty Chairs
at Empty Tables - and curiosities -
Pure Imagination from Charlie and
the Chocolate Factory. “Sometimes
you feel it’s the right time in your
life personally and creatively to
take things back to where your first
inspiration was,” says Josh, who got
hooked on musical theatre as a kid. “1
grew up in Los Angeles and 1 was so
lucky that there were great theatres
there. My parents would take me to
see all the Andrew Lloyd Webber
shows. We’d go to see Stephen
Sondheim. We’d see Broadway
concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. 1
walked out thinking this was an art
form 1 wanted to explore.”

The Phantom of the Opera was the
first show he saw. “And 1 became
obsessed with the Phantom,” he
laughs. “1 made a papier-mache
mask and wore it everywhere.

1 wanted to be him so bad.” He
attended performing arts school and
originally planned on being an actor
- something he’s dabbled in since,
popping up in The Office, Glee and
Crazy Stupid Love - but that voice was
always going to win out.

An album of show tunes brings
him full circle, but it’s been a while
coming. “1 wanted to make my own
path,” Josh explains. “1 didn’t want to
make Broadway albums right away

because 1 had the chance to make
new music, and 1 wanted to take that
chance. But I’ve been able to work
with so many extraordinary Broadway
performers and immerse myself
in that world more and more, so 1
thought, ‘This is a world I’ve loved for
so long and these are songs that feel
really innate to my voice - so let’s do
it.’ 1 feel like it’s the right time.”

His dream duet would be with Bjork,
“just for the sheer unexpectedness of
it,” but for now he’s happy with Kelly
Clarkson, who joins him on All 1 Ask
of You from Phantom, and Broadway
legend Audra McDonald, who lends
her pipes to If I Loved You from
Carousel.

Missing this time round is Idina
Menzel, whom Josh worked with on
a concert version of Chess. He’s a
fan. “She’s such a good friend and so
funny. I’m so lucky that I get to know
all these great singers who turn out to
be so funny and down-to-earth. They
can make people cry on stage and
make them laugh off stage. That’s my
kind of person.”

As is Kat Dennings, the voluptuous
supporting star of the Thor movies
who puts her comic skills - and
incredible cleavage - front and centre
in TV’s Two Broke Girls. Kat and Josh
have been an item since last October
and he gets her saucy sass. “I’m the
biggest fan of potty humour on the
planet,” he admits. “When I’m not
singing serious stuff on stage I want
the dirty joke. The most attractive
thing about someone for me is humour
and when we first started hanging out
she had me in tears. She still does.”

Kat can be truly filthy on the show,
which makes us wonder just how
angelic the Voice of an Angel himself
is on a scale of one to ten? Josh laughs.
“I teeter around four or five when I’m
not performing. When I sing, I want
to do it as purely as possible, and if
people in the audience get a little
weepy that’s a great thing. Then when
I’m not on stage. I’m buying the first
round of drinks!” ■

Stages is out 20 April, joshgroban.com,
©joshgroban

14GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[first]

On the tenth
anniversary of
Instinct

“What we’ve
created is
something that’s
special. It’s evolved
in many ways over
the years. I’m
almost 40 and I still
wear it - and my
kids wear it, too. My
youngest boy is ten
and he loves it. ”

On his own
personai styie
choices

“People say I’ve
been part of certain
changes throughout
the last ten years.

It makes me proud
that they’d think
that, ‘cos none
of the stuff I do
is planned. I’ll
look back at my
hairstyles and
think, ‘What was I
thinking?’ But at the
time, it was great.”

On where he
goes for styie
advice

“Well, Victoria is
always a good
person to ask
because obviously
it’s her industry
now - and she’s
always been great
at decision making.

I also get inspiration
from my kids. One
of the times in the
last few months that
Brooklyn actually
felt like I was cool
was when I got him
Kanye shoes for
his birthday. So for
about five hours I
was cool, but then
he realised that I’d
got myself a pair as
well and it kind of
killed it!”

On his beard

“I’m sticking with
the beard. I’m a
Taurus, so people
keep turning round
to me and saying,
‘Please shave it off,
please shave it. You

look terrible.’ And it
makes me want to
keep it even more.
Right now, I like it. “

On his tattoos

“I’m really happy
with all my tattoos,
to be honest. The
one that caused the
most controversy
was the one on my
neck because when
I had that done,
tattoos were out
there, but people
always saw me
like a little bit of a
mummy’s boy. But
every one of them
means something
to me. When people
turn around and
say, ‘Any advice on
having a tattoo?’ I
go, a, don’t go and
have one when
you’re drunk and
b, just make sure
it’s meaningful
to you. I’m sure
I’ll get another
one at some
point. Sometimes
something will
happen in my life,
with the kids or
Victoria, and I’ll
decide to get one.”

On Brookiyn
steaiing his
ciothes

“My eldest, I mean,
he's 16, but every
time I go in to my
wardrobe there's
clothes on the floor.
And I'm a really tidy
person, so I know
he's been in there.
He doesn't think I'm
too cool at times,
but when he comes
out in my jeans
or my trainers, I
know I'm still a cool
dad. Brooklyn is
constantly coming
out with his own
looks, though. My
youngest Cruise
is the same, and
Romeo looks
good in almost
everything. They
give me inspiration
all the time." ■

16 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

Some people need
renovation or retouching, some
are pretty perfect apparently,
some are in need of a polish
and some are just as found.

We believe wonderful and
extraordinary things are much
the same...

71-73 Lots Road, Chelsea, London SW10 ORN

LOTS ROAD AUCTIONS

T: +44 (0)20 7376 6800 E: info@lotsroad.com

www.lotsroad. com

18 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[first]

There but for the Grace of disco Before we
went Nightclubbing with Grace Jones, we
enjoyed the final days of disco with her first
three seminal albums - Portfolio, Fame and
Muse. Now, they’re all together for the first
time, across three discs, remastered with
bonus tracks and extended mixes. There’s
a gorgeous four LP vinyl set, too. Time to
jump into that time machine and back to

Studio 54 with Mama Jones. ■ DISCO box is out 4 May.

gaytimes.co.uk

GT19

Currently finding his inner Baitira Streisand nightiy in his one-man
show Buyer and Celiar, we taik the relewance of gay stereotypes
today with Ugly Betty’s very own Michael Urie...

Your role as Marc St James in Ugly
Betty was to be replaced weekly, right?

Yeah, exactly. The plan was she’d go
through assistants like Kleenex [laughs].
When did it all change? The team
on Betty liked the dynamic between
Vanessa and myself, and we just got
on smashingly. 1 think they really liked
what they saw with us from both on set
and off. There was this one occasion, 1
was doing her behind her back and she
caught on, and it turned into a moment.
We just got on and it was hilarious. And
then suddenly, 1 was being asked to
appear in the cast photo.

Was the stereotype of a gay male
different then to how it is now? It’s
interesting this, as I’d say it’s the same,
but it HAS changed. 1 mean, it was back
in the My Space days, so when the show
first aired we were getting reactions to
my character about him being mean and
catty and the typical gay guy that worked

in fashion - and he totally fit into the
stereotype. But yet, he was different.

How do you mean? He worked in
fashion but had a heart. He was quite
funny yet wanted to help Betty and
work with her. The writers told us
from the beginning that they wanted
to be truthful with him. They knew
they’d be watched by virgin teens,
but also by kids too. They’d all see
two young guys, similar to their ages,
who’d hopefully help them accept their
sexuality and come out.

Do you think Ugly Betty would have the
same impact today as it did back then?
Yeah, but there isn’t that much on TV that
was so new, like Betty was back then. It
was a true dramedy at the time.

Is a gay role better played by a gay
male than a straight male then? I’m
not saying it’s wrong for a straight guy
to be playing any of these gay roles,
but maybe it’s better to see a gay guy

do it, as well as straight roles too,
and have that celebrated. It’s tough,
but as long as he’s with the role and
successful, then either can work.

And now you’re in the West End in
Buyer and Cellar? The show is so fun.
I’m Jonathan, who’s an actor from LA
and totally made up. He’s a character
that gets hired to work in a basement
mall in Barbra Streisand’s house.
Sounds odd, but she did actually make
this place in her home where she kept
clothes and even sweet shops, and it
looked a little like Disneyland.

So lots of characters? So many - and
I play them all! I don’t wear a wig or
have long fingernails, but I become her
[Barbra Streisand] and the other roles.
It’s totally awesome and hilarious. ■

Read the full interview in full on gaytimes.
co.uk. Michael appears in Buyer and Cellar at
London’s Menier Chocolate Factory until 2 May,
menierchocolatefactory.com, ©michaelurie

20 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

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COVERS

[mikeywalsl4s

An LGBT person in

the media thanked his
dad for helping him
remain butch, castable and making
sure he didn’t turn into one of those
‘effeminate’ gays.

You know what? 1 promised
myself 1 wouldn’t get sucked
into Toveygate, because the last
thing anyone needs is yet another
bastard giving out yet another
point of view on the matter. Bottom
line, I’m sure he’s a lovely guy. And
hey, what 1 say, or anyone else in
the community says for that matter,
isn’t going to affect him, his life,
or his career. Beyond knowing
he prefers penis. I’ve never seen
the guy as an advocate for the gay
community, and he’s clearly never
wanted to be, either. But judging
by that interview, it’s probably for
the best.

He may have said some utterly
stupid things, but sadly, it’s still
very much a straight man’s world
out there, especially out in the USA
- and I’m guessing he’s trying to
stay in it. And work.

Do 1 even dare to utter the
name Luke Evans here, and what
happened to his entire gay history

once he broke America?

Meanwhile, I’ve heard just as
many people praise Tovey for
those remarks, as I’ve seen ones
pointing the witchy finger. . . 1 won’t
count the tens of thousands of
absolute fools that constantly tweet
support for him, and many others
who’ve served their time in the
‘Twitter boo box’ in the vain hope
that their countless tweets and
Facebook messages might just one
day be replied to, favourited, or
acknowledged.

Those are the cunts that really get
on my nerves.

Those, and the countless ignorant
arseholes who give ‘shock tactic’
celebrities a voice, for exactly the
same reason.

‘OMG Katie Hopkins, thanks for
responding, 1 LOVE YOU, you say
what we all are too scared to say!!’

1 seem to be rolling my eyes
more than the fucking Undertaker
these days. But you know what?
Fuck it. And fuck them. There
are far worse people out there
who actually DO hate gay people;
whether they’re straight acting,
fern, masc, top or bottom. They
hate us all - and no stupid guise.

There are

far worse

people out

there who

actually

DO hale

gay

people;

whether

theyVe

straight

acUng,

fern,

masc, top
or bottom
They hate
vsaa

@thatbloodymikey

or label, or pretence will ever
make us acceptable to them.

These people think gays should
all be put on an island somewhere
and ‘blah blah blah.’ Yeah, we’ve
all heard a few variations of that
line in our lives, haven’t we?

We’ve come so far, but there’s
still so much hatred about and we
need to look out for each other
more. 1 forget how well guarded
1 am, living in a city where
homophobia isn’t so threatening.

Then on days like I’ve had today,

1 remember how horrible it can
be, and how ugly and useless
being a victim to homophobia can
make you feel.

Today 1 had to pull two teenage
boys away from an older trans
lady as they grabbed for her
hair. They’d been laughing at
her and making rude comments
from Oxford Street to Hackney,
in peak time, on a crowded bus,
and not a single person had
stepped up to aid her. As our
argument got more heated and 1
thought I’d have to start fighting
two children, we were all asked
to leave the bus. They refused to
leave, but the lady and 1 did.

As the bus left the stop, the two
boys shouted ‘sick fucks’ and ‘arse
rammers’ from the windows.

She turned to me and asked if 1
was alright, then punched me in
the arm and laughed: ‘Hey, we
lived, don’t be so fucking upset.’

It made my day to hear her so
chirpy about it.

There’ll always be those of
us who try to conform to what’s
easier as much as possible. But
regardless of what we pretend to
be, we can’t change what’s in our
bones. Times are changing. And
one sure thing is that the old ways
of thinking will die. And we’re
here; we’re more than capable of
being our own advocates; by living
as we are, proudly and openly.
We’re a bloody varied
bunch, us gays, and 1
love us. ■

22 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

ON TOUR IN 2015

THU 09 JULY BIRMINGHAM BARCLAYCARD ARENA
SAT 11 JULY MANCHESTER ARENA
MON 13 JULY GLASGOW THE SSE HYDRO
WED 15 JULY LEEDS FIRST DIRECT ARENA
^SAT 1 8 JULY LONDON THE 02 ■

EXTRA SHOW ADDED DUE TO PUBLIC DEMAND

SUN 19 JULY LONDON THE 02

LIVENATION.CO.uk • TICKETMASTER.CO.uk • BETTEMIDLER.COM

VIP PACKAGES AVAILABLE FROM VIPNATION.EU ■

ALL THE OLD AND NEW FAVORITES!
"•••IT'S YOUR BEST BETTE YETI!"

WORDS WILLIAM CONNOLLY IMAGE JAMES BURTON

gaytimes.co.uk

[first]

What’s the best bit of advice anyone
has ever given you? If you can’t reach
something, stand on a box.

Who’s your biggest crush? 1 like a
bit of Ryan Gosling. He’s hot in The
Notebook - with the beard and the hair
and everything.

Who’s the most famous person that
you’ve ever met? Ant and Dec.

When you go on holiday, what is
the one essential thing you have to
pack? A book.

A certain Fifty Shades of Grey book,
by any chance? I’ve read one of those
and then I couldn’t read any more. I
mean, they’re sexy, you know? But I think
one was enough [laughs] .

What makes you nervous? Live theatre
- it terrifies me! You have to stand up in
front of people on stage. It’s thrilling and
I adore it, but that first night is probably
the worst. I’d rather be run over by a bus.
Kylie, Madonna or Gaga? Madonna!

I grew up with her. I mean, I did
love Kylie as well, but I LOVED The
Immaculate Collection.

What’s your favourite swear word?
[Laughs] I suppose... I mean... I try not to
use the ‘C’ word too much...

Do you use that a lot? Not a lot, but it’s
effective, isn’t it?

Are you in love? Yes.

What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever
put in your mouth? Turkey balls.

You’re going to have to explain that
one... Well, I ate a turkey penis ball and
I put it in my mouth and swallowed it. It
was revolting. There’s video footage of it
on YouTube, apparently.

What was your worst subject in
school? Probably maths.

Who or what is your guilty pleasure?
Million Dollar Listing New York.

What’s the most expensive thing
that you’ve ever bought? A sofa that’s
now sitting in a bloody garage. It’s an
Italian leather sofa with a back that
went up and down. To me it looks like
a baseball glove.

Would you rather not eat or speak for
24 hours? Not speak for 24 hours.

What’s the last thing that you read
about yourself on the internet?

That I arrived to the studio in a police
car, which I did, when I was doing an

interview for This Morning.

If you could go back and give your
15-year-old self one bit of advice, what
would it be? Be braver.

What’s the first thing that you do when
you wake up? Look at my belly in the
mirror and give it a little wobble.

How many hours sleep do you need a
night to be able to function properly? 1
sleep a lot. I go to bed about 9pm. So, at
least six or seven.

Double denim. Amazing or awful?

Instinctively I’d have to say awful, but
actually some people can make it look
quite good.

What’s the hardest word for you to
spell? Leicester [laughs]. I can just
never remember where the ‘C’, ‘E’, T’
or ‘S’ goes.

Which supermarket do you shop in?
Waitrose, but that’s only because it’s
the nearest one - and it’s much more
fucking expensive, annoyingly.

Which reality TV show would you like
to got on? Strictly.

Are you good at flirting? Very.

What’s the longest you’ve been
without showering? Three weeks.

Oh! Actually, in the jungle, but we had
a waterfall. Uh, yeah, not long. I like
to shower.

What do you look for in a guy? Humour.
Sexiest accent? Oh, Irish! 1 love it!

Is Brad Pitt still hot? I mean, if you
like that sort of thing. Yeah. I guess he
is. Yeah.

Do you take selfies? Occasionally,
yeah.

Can you parallel park? Yes.

Who was the last person to see you
naked? My boyfriend.

What song do you sing in the
shower? My daughter and I tend to
generally sing Les Miserables and
Miss Saigon to each other.

Strangest thing anyone has ever said
to you? [Laughs] So, a woman once said
to me, “Don’t take offence to this because
she’s a fucking dog, but you look a little
bit like that Janine off EastEnders.”
[Laughs] Which was really pleasant. ■

Charlie is currently playing at venues across the
country - including Leicester - as part of the UK
tour of Beautiful Thing. Tickets are available at
beautthing.com, ©beautthing

gaytimes.co.uk

GT25

DE CISION. W E PUT M
YOUR QUESTIONS TO

CONSERVATIVES, LABOUR
LIB OEMS AND GRIeNS. ^
WE EVEN SPOKE TO SOME

l-T

HEY

DAVID CAMERON
CONSERVATIVE

Who’s your gay icon? There are many
people I admire from different walks of life
- politicians such as Lord Smith and Margot
James, journalists like Matthew Parris,
sports stars and campaigners like Martina
Navratilova or Tom Daley.

If 1 had to pick jut one, it’d be Clare
Balding, who 1 think is outstanding for her
passion and knowledge of the subjects she
broadcasts on - and she’s also spoken out
brilliantly on equality issues.

If 1 was choosing someone from history
it’d be Alan Turing, who clearly was an
exceptional man with a brilliant mind.

He deserves to be remembered and
recognised for his fantastic contribution
to the war effort and his legacy to science.
His pardon from the Queen was a fitting
tribute to an exceptional man.

How should a gay voter feel if their
local Conservative candidate didn’t
vote in favour of same-sex marriage?
The key point is that it’s now in place -

and no one is proposing to repeal it.

I’m tremendously proud that we now
have same-sex marriage in this country,
and I’m particularly proud that it was
a Conservative-led government that
introduced it. In fact, 1 understand I’m the
only Conservative Prime Minister in the
world who’s introduced equal marriage.

While there are people who weren’t
convinced by the arguments. I’m
heartened by the number of people who
- both during and after the debate - have
said that they changed their minds and are
now strong advocates for equal marriage.
If elected, what would your party do to
help improve sexual health education in
schools for LGBT youths - particularly
relating to HIV awareness? Relationship
and sexual health education is a matter of
great concern to parents and as society
changes, as children have greater access
to information on the internet, it’s an area
to be kept under review. We’ve already
added sexually transmitted disease to the
Key Stage 4 science curriculum, meaning
that students should learn about it as

part of their GCSE science. We’ve also
been clear that relationship education
in schools should be inclusive of LGBT
issues and the government has funded
the PSHE association to produce guidance
on consent, which has a specific focus on
same-sex relationships.

Do you agree with the National AIDS
Trust and other charities that PrEP
should be made available on the NHS
to gay men who need it as soon as
possible? 1 think it’s fantastic that over
the course of the last 30 years, AIDS has
gone from being a very serious and fatal
disease to one that can be treated - and
is now on the cusp of being one that can
be prevented. Too many people have lost
loved ones and seen friends and families
suffer from AIDS, so it’s right that we look
very carefully at PrEP. However decisions
on individual drug availability are made
by the independent National Institute for
Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and
not politicians - so it’d be inappropriate of
me to prejudge their decision.

When did gay rights become an

26 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

WORDS RYAN BUTCHER IMAGES CROWN COPYRIGHT/ ARRON HOARE

Left Cameron with
Barack Obama
in Washington,
January 2015.
Above With Nick
Clegg at the Gay
Pride garden party,
June 2010.

integral part of your political agenda?

Respect, dignity and fairness have
always been at the heart of my politics, so
advancing equality was a natural part of
what 1 wanted to achieve.

Which LGBT person would you say
has influenced you the most? It would
be unfair to single one out, but I’ve been
inspired by all the candidates, many now
MPs, in my own party who fought elections
as openly gay candidates.

What’s your party’s most important
moment in the history of gay rights?
Bringing equal marriage into law - a
huge milestone in the history of gay
rights in the UK.

According to teacher’s union NASUWT,
one in four LGBT teachers feel they
have to hide their sexuality. How can we
change that and create a more accepting
environment? It’s not acceptable for any
teacher to feel they have to hide their
sexuality, so the National College for
Teaching and Leadership is working with
Stonewall to address some of the barriers
faced by LGBT teachers and - in particular

- their progression to leadership positions.
We need schools to be places of respect
for both teachers and pupils, and we’re
making progress - half the number of
secondary school teachers now say that
pupils are ‘often’ or ‘very often’ the victim
of homophobic bullying compared to 2009,
but there’s more to do. So we’re investing
£2 million in schools to help them tackle
homophobic bullying and will keep this
momentum up in the next Parliament.

At a time when blood supplies are
dwindling and the gay community
feels like their blood is deemed to be
less worthy, do you foresee the rules
changing when it comes to gay and
bisexual men donating blood? I’m
pleased that we’ve made some progress
on this issue, but I’m aware that it’s still
a contentious one. Ultimately this is a
decision for clinicians, not politicians.

The Albert Kennedy Trust says there
are up to 5,000 LGBT youths living on
the streets - and that this group is at
the highest risk of abuse, violence and
sexual exploitation. What would your

party do to combat this? There’s nothing
more important than giving young people
security and love when they’re growing up.
I’m concerned about the specific issue of
homelessness among young LGBT people
and that’s why we’ve begun funding the
Albert Kennedy Trust to tackle it. We
must also understand why young people
become homeless; one reason some end up
on the streets is because they leave school
early due to bullying, so we’re working to
eradicate homophobic bullying in schools.
Which politician do you think has
been the most damaging to gay rights
- past or present? This is a complex
issue that can’t be answered with one
name. There are leaders and politicians
in other countries who have sought to
stigmatise the LGBT community which
is incredibly damaging. And right now
we’re seeing truly horrific sights in Syria
with ISIS throwing suspected gay men
off the top of towers to their death; so
right now their leadership is the most
damaging and tackling the threat they
present is crucial. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT27

MIKE FREER
CONSERVATIVE

Thatcher is often heavily criticised

for her record on gay rights. But in
her old constituency of Finchley
and Golders Green, there’s now a
gay man in occupation. Mike Freer
is a big advocate of gay rights -
given they’re his own - and took
full advantage of the new same-sex
marriage laws, marrying his long-
term partner at the start of the year.

“I’ve never had a problem in the
Conservative Party,” he tells GT.
“I’ve never had a problem with
my members, never when 1 was
an activist, certainly not when
1 was leader of Barnet Council.
Homophobia exists in all walks of
life, but I’ve never found that the

Conservative Party is any more
homophobic than any other walk
of life. 1 broadly identified as a
Conservative, because 1 believe
governments should get out of the
way of who 1 sleep with or what’s
behind closed doors.

“Now 1 accept that different
parties have done things. Tony
Blair was the one who pushed
through the civil partnership
legislation, and I’m not sure my
party would have done that at
the time. But there’s been a huge
change in the Conservative
Party, particularly under David
Cameron.”

During the last Parliament - since
2010 - the Conservatives have had
more out MPs than the other parties
combined. At this election, they
have the most candidates: A total of
41. How gay is the Tory party? “Oh,
please, it’s always been gay! They
used to say if it wasn’t for the gay
Tories, central office would never
operate! But probably not more gay
than Parliament.”

Still, the majority of Conservative
MPs voted against marriage
equality, and it seems unlikely it
would have passed without other
parties’ support. “It’s interesting,
that. Every party had people who
opposed it. 1 mean, a lot of my
colleagues in Parliament didn’t
know that 1 was gay. 1 never went
round saying, T’m the gay MP!’ 1 just
wanted to be a good constituency
MP, who happens to be gay.

“Going for breakfast, you’d hear
people talking about it, saying
they didn’t understand why gays
wouldn’t be happy with civil
partnerships. Most of the debate
was quite pleasant, there were
maybe half a dozen who weren’t. 1
had a major falling out with one of
my colleagues over it. We didn’t
speak, we couldn’t bear to be in the
same room as one or another for six
months. But we’ve made up now.
And then 1 went to his wedding - a
straight wedding.”

How should a gay constituent
of his friend, who was so against
same-sex marriage, feel? “1 think
you have to think about why.

We shouldn’t fall into the trap of
stereotyping those who voted
against as being homophobic. 1
have a colleague who just didn’t
believe the state should be
involved, full stop. 1 don’t agree,
but it’s not homophobic of them.”

David Cameron has been an
ardent and admirable supporter of
extending marriage rights. What,
then, would be the priorities for
a second term in charge? “Some
of the challenges that 1 will be
pushing for will be the spousal
veto - there’s a lot of room to go
with trans issues. We’ve got to
embed in the teacher training
programme issues of homophobic
bullying. In my personal view,
we’ve also got to really unpick our
HIV prevention programme and
make that work.” ■

Same-sex marriage

127

voted for

136

voted against

35

did not vote

Why vote

Conservative,

Mike?

[01] The Conservative
Party is a modern
party that reflects
society now. It’s the
party that delivered
same-sex marriage.

[02] We have more
representation of gay
people in Parliament
than anyone else,

which shows how the
changes have been
embedded in the party.
[03] You either want a
Prime Minister that’s
competent and delivers
a strong economy, or
you don’t. So there’s
more money for HIV
prevention, more
money for tackling
homophobic bullying in
schools. You need an
economy to fund that. ■

28 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

WORDS BENJAMIN BUTTERWORTH

[election]

STEVE REED
LABOUR

“I remember as I was growing up,

during the 80s, what the Thatcher
government did with Section 28,
and the demonising of gay men and
women. They just seemed to be
targeting minorities for what was
going wrong in the country,” Steve
tells GT. “It gave me a very strong
mistrust of the Conservatives on
issues of personal freedom. And
that’s still there.”

Steve Reed has been Labour’s
MP for Croydon North since 2012,
when he became the first out gay
person elected in a by-election. He
did so 30 years after Peter Tatchell
contested the infamous Bermondsey
by-election, considered the most

homophobic in British history. Steve
was already a Labour party member
back then, joining as a teenage boy
while he was still in the closet.

It was just days before the vote on
same-sex marriage that he took his
seat in Parliament.

“It really struck me, on a
very personal level, that 1 had
been outside here [Parliament]
protesting against Section 28
in the 80s, and had been inside
here to vote for equal marriage.
We’d completed the equalisation
of gay people in law, and that felt
personally very profound. It’s
an extraordinary change to see
happen in this country.”

Steve’s sexuality was hardly
mentioned during his election
campaign or his time as a London
council leader, he says, “other
than a former Liberal Democrat
councillor who wrote a blog
‘exposing’ me as living with a man,
which wasn’t even true - 1 lived
with a cat.”

Yet still it remains that numerous
MPs who’re gay persistently keep
the fact secret. Why? “People that
are in Parliament and grew up
decades ago grew up in a very
different culture, and may still
be having big internal struggles.

I’d choose to judge those people
on how they vote on issues of
equality.

“But it’s still important to be
out. We have to normalise being
gay - it is normal, of course - but

to make that apparent you need
people out in all walks of life.
People who’re in a position of
public leadership have a big part
to play in doing that.”

Thankfully, the times of chronic
prejudice have largely passed,
as all the out MPs GT has spoken
to agree. It’s taken cross-party
support to bring about that change
and all the big three support gay
equality. Which is how it should
be, of course.

So what are the big challenges
that the next Parliament should
be tackling? “1 think there’s still
considerable prejudice against
trans people, especially around
things like birth certificates and
access to passports.

“Secondly, Britain still holds
great influence in the world. 1 met a
young man from Uganda recently,
and he told me of the things he’d
experienced there at the hands
of bigots, and it was absolutely
terrifying. We’ve just got to do
something about that.

“Then there’s homophobic
bullying in schools. Anyone who is
wondering whether or not they’re
gay at school and hears language
that infers gay people are in some
way inferior or weaker in any way,
they’ll internalise that and it’ll
damage them.

“Finally we do need to go boldly
into those areas in our country
where these views aren’t shared,
and challenge those, too.” ■

Same-sex marriage

217

voted for

22

voted against

16

did not vote

OUT CANDIDATES

Why vote
Labour, Steve?

[01] Labour’s
commitment to equality
has been beyond
question for decades
now. Look at the fact we
have full equality in law,
that’s primarily to do
with the Labour Party.

[02] We need to make
sure that the services
that affect gay people’s

lives are all there. I used
to lead Lambeth Council
and we were one of
the first to support
gay adoption, helping
countless children.

[03] It’s not just about
being gay, it’s about
being part of a society
where we all care for
each other. If we look
out for those who aren’t
as strong as we are,
we’ll be better for it. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT29

ED MIUBAND
LABOUR

Who’s your gay icon? Well, Lord Michael
Cashman is somebody who I’ve got
huge admiration for. He’s been a pioneer
in every sense. He was a pioneer on
EastEnders, but he’s also been a pioneer in
the European Parliament and in the House
of Lords. That’s why I’ve appointed him as
my global envoy on LGBT rights - because
that’s a battle that hasn’t been won yet.
We’ve got to work in the Commonwealth
and Europe and beyond on these issues,
because 1 don’t just want to stand up for
equality here at home. 1 want to stand up
for equality internationally, too.

How should a gay voter feel if their local
Labour candidate didn’t vote in favour
of same-sex marriage? 1 think people
have to make their own judgements about
the candidates that they have. The really
important thing to say though is that the
vast majority of Labour MPs voted for equal
marriage. I’m clear about equality and the
importance of equality - and it’s Labour

votes and Labour MPs that got same-sex
marriage through Parliament.

If elected, what would your party do to
help improve sexual health education in
schools for LGBT youths - particularly
relating to HIV awareness? We’ve
said that we’d have compulsory sex and
relationship education - that’s the right
way to go. There’s a really broad coalition
now right across the board saying we need
this in our schools. 1 think there’ll be some
people trying to cast up myths about what
it’d mean. But as the father of two young
boys, 1 want them to know about friendships
and relationships and those things.
Obviously, it’s got to be age appropriate,
but 1 don’t think we have anything to fear
from it. In fact, we have everything to gain
from it as a society. We’ve come a long way
from Section 28. The wider point 1 would
make is that we’ve made massive progress
on formal equality, but we’ve still got
further to go on REAL equality - whether
that’s homophobic bullying in schools,
or whether that’s homophobia in sports...
There’s a whole range of issues, culturally.

where 1 think we’ve still got further to go.

Do you agree with the National AIDS
Trust and other charities that PrEP
should be made available on the NHS to
gay men who need it as soon as possible?
The recent medical evidence that’s come
out about PrEP is obviously very positive
- it’s a positive step forward. And it could
make a real difference. There’s obviously
proper clinical processes that we’ve got to
go through, with the National Institute for
Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to look
at this. I’m obviously sympathetic, and the
evidence is incredibly encouraging, but
this has got to be led medically.

When did gay rights become an integral
part of your political agenda? It came
from growing up in the 80s with Section
28. It was the Thatcher government, wasn’t
it? If you grew up around that time, it
was a deep sense of discrimination and
unfairness. I’ve always been someone
that believes in equality, but that was a
formative time as far as I’m concerned.
What’s your party’s most important
moment in the history of gay rights?

30 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

WORDS RYAN BUTCHER IMAGES ISTOCKPHOTO

[election]

Left Ed Miliband
outside Number
10. Above Ed during
his bid for Labour
leadership, June
2010.

Equalising the age of consent was the most
important moment, for me, because it was
a moment which sort of blazed the trail for
the principle of equality that we then saw
later. It brought with it civil partnerships,
and equal marriage and adoption - and a
whole range of other issues.

At a time when blood supplies are
dwindling and the gay community
feels like their blood is deemed to be
less worthy, do you foresee the rules
changing when it comes to gay and
bisexual men donating blood? The
guidelines have changed somewhat, but 1
know that in the LGBT community there’s a
wish for further change. 1 think we’ve got
to be led by the clinicians and the medical
people that keep it under constant review.
Asides from having a Minister for
Equalities, do you think the LGBT
community needs a sole representative
on the Cabinet? Can one person really
represent every minority? 1 think they
can, but 1 think I’d go even further. I’d say
it’s actually a role for the Prime Minister
to take an interest in these issues. That’s

partly why 1 made the appointment 1 did
with Michael as my global envoy, because 1
wanted to show that when it comes to these
international negotiations and international
issues, for example, you need the full
weight of the Prime Minister behind it.

How do you feel when politicians in your
party don’t have the same views on gay
rights and equality as yourself? I’ve
always tried to lead from the front on this,
and my belief in equality is a fundamental
principle that we should carry through into
everything we do. Sometimes change is
controversial, and then after the change
happens, even the people who disagreed
tend to hold their hands up and say, “Well,
actually, that was right thing to do.” And
that’s why the change happens.

We’ve talked a lot about governments
and political parties, but it’s not
governments or political parties of any
stripe that deserve the most credit.

It’s actually the LGBT community as a
movement. Change doesn’t happen
because politicians make it happen. It
happens because the community says.

“Enough! We’re going to change things!”
And nowhere has change been more
pronounced than with LGBT rights, and
nowhere is it more down to a community
than with LGBT rights. It’s because of
people like Michael Cashman, but also
because of people whose names 1 don’t
know said, “OK, enough! We’re not putting
up with this anymore.” That’s what made
the change, and that’s what’ll make change
happen in the future as well.

And finally, why should a gay voter
vote for the Labour Party? Simply
because of our belief in equality. 1 came
into the Labour party because 1 care
about equality and 1 care about a more
equal society - economically, socially, in
terms of power and, as 1 said, because 1
don’t believe that the battle for equality
has truly been won. 1 don’t think we
should declare victory. 1 think we should
declare that we’ve made huge progress
- but we’ve got further to go to win the
battle. As Prime Minister, 1 would be a
warrior for equality and social justice,
because that’s just what 1 believe. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT31

NICK CLEGG
UBERAL DEMOCRAT

Who’s your gay icon? I’d say Lynne
Featherstone. I mean, without Lynne I don’t
think we’d have the equal marriage bill. I
remember she came to me and said, “Look,
I really want to push this in the Home
Office. It’s going to be like pushing water
up a hill. Will you back me?” I said I’d back
her all the way - and I continue to do so.
When the history of that particular piece
of legislation is written, statues will be
erected for Lynne Featherstone on plinths
up and down the country. Without her, it
just wouldn’t have happened.

If elected, what would your party do to
help improve sexual health education in
schools for LGBT youths - particularly
relating to HIV awareness? The thing
is, it’s not just, “Oh, how can we improve
sex education for LGBT folk?” It’s across
the whole population. We have sex
and relationship education guidelines
which are outdated - which haven’t been
updated since something like 2001. The

guidelines haven’t kept with the digital
age. You know, we’ve got a lot of issues
these days which are a huge concern
for vulnerable youngsters, in terms of
online pressure, bullying, harassment,
vilification, victimisation... That’s not being
reflected in the guidelines. And that’s why
I pushed Michael Gove when he was in the
Department for Education to update the
guidelines. And for some odd, idealogical
reasons he refused.

The second problem we’ve got is, PSHE
- which is the vehicle by which a lot of this
can be discussed in the classroom - isn’t
actually mandatory at all across the school
system. So you’ve got this ludicrous situation
where if you send your daughter to a
maintained school, she’ll get PSHE taught as
a matter of course, but if you sent your son
to a neighbouring academy or free school,
they won’t. Again, I tried to get Gove to see
sense on this, but he had a bit of a screw
loose when it came to this kind of thing.

Information is empowerment, and
empowerment is about protecting yourself
and keeping yourself safe. All kids should

have access to the same information
- because it’s very valuable. It’s very
valuable because it keeps kids safe.

Do you agree with the National AIDS
Trust and other charities that PrEP
should be made available on the NHS
to gay men who need it as soon as
possible? The NHS is looking. We’ve had
these studies and tests - like the PROUD
Study - which appears to have confirmed
the clinical effect of the drug in terms of
preventing HIV. But the NHS now, quite
rightly, is looking at what this actually
means. Would it be clinically prescribed?
And to who? And for what periods of time?

Is it a one-off prescription or is it an ongoing
thing? That’s all being looked into at the
moment. PrEP sounds like a fantastic
medical innovation which can keep people
safe from HIV infection, but of course,
what we wouldn’t want is for people to
take it and risk contracting other illnesses
and infections because they practice less
protected sex. I don’t think we should,
under any circumstances, regard any drug
as a sort of wonder drug that suddenly

32 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

WORDS RYAN BUTCHER IMAGES JAMES GOURLEY / LIBERAL DEMOCRATS / ISTOCKPHOTO

Left Nick Clegg’s
first joint press
conference with
Cameron, May 2010.
Above Nick Clegg
at the Lib Dem
^Spring Conference,
Marchj^OIS.

r

1

^ — -

!

1

yy

.t-

means all risk is removed. But at the end
of the day, it’s up to the NHS to look at the
studies and work things out as they so
publicly need to be worked out.

When did gay rights become an integral
part of your political agenda? 1 just
think it goes with the territory if you’re
a liberal. It’s not something you pick up
like you’d pick up sweets from a sweet
shop. The philosophy of liberalism is all
around treating people as individuals,
without prejudice, and with compassion
and tolerance. And then doing your bit
in politics to try and help everybody

- regardless of their sexuality, their
gender, their religion, their world view

- so everyone has the kind of equal
opportunities to get ahead in life. That’s
liberalism in a nutshell. It’d be a bit off
to be a liberal and not believe in equal
opportunities for the LGBT community in
this country. It’s part of the DNA of what
liberalism and being a liberal is all about.
What’s your party’s most important
moment in the history of gay rights? 1
think it would be the introduction of same-

sex marriage, actually. It’s probably the
most dramatic instalment in a long line of
instances where the Liberal Democrats
have pioneered and led with LGBT rights
- well before and well ahead of other
parties. It’s going back to Section 28 and
adoption rules, and a number of iconic
votes that’ve happened over the past ten,
15, 20 years. But same-sex marriage is
probably the most iconic of all.
According to teacher’s union NASUWT,
one in four LGBT teachers feel they
have to hide their sexuality. How can
we change that and create a more
accepting environment? It’s very much
about attitudes. The attitudes of their
own bosses and head teachers play a
massive role. Of all the things I’d hope
would encourage any man or woman to
be open about their sexuality at school,
leadership from head teachers is the most
important. At the end of the day, little
children shouldn’t be wildly interested
in the personal lives of their teachers,
whether they’re gay, straight, married or
not. It’s not the focus of why they’re in the

classroom. But equally, it’s distressing to
think that teachers are hiding their true
selves. But the onus lies quite heavily on
the shoulders of the head teachers.

The Albert Kennedy Trust says there
are up to 5,000 LGBT youths living
on the streets - and that this group is
at the highest risk of abuse, violence
and sexual exploitation. What would
you party do to combat this? A couple
of my friends, a gay couple, told me
about the Albert Kennedy Trust. They do
some fantastic work, don’t they? And the
Department for Communities and Local
Government has given some money to
the AKT to start a project from the spring
of this year - to support the AKT to really
reach out to those who’re homeless,
who can be specially catered for. That’s
exactly what we need to be doing. A
partnership including - if necessary -
some money, working hand in glove with
the folk at Albert Kennedy. It’s probably
the best way we can try and identify the
scale of the problem and indeed identify
solutions to deal with it. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT33

STEPHEN WILLIAMS
UB DEMOCRAT

Stephen has spent ten years as the

MP for Bristol West. Back in 2005,
his second attempt at running for
Parliament, he became the Lib
Bern’s very first out MP - something
he speaks proudly of.

Stephen faced some abuse from
voters when the idea of an openly
gay person in public life was
more alien. “1 had people writing
some unpleasant letters,” he tells
GT. “Prejudice is irrational, but
some of it was comically absurd.

1 had one letter, scrawled in the
person’s own writing, where
the guy said: ‘I’ve always voted
Liberal Democrat, but then 1 found
out you’re a queer. . . So I’m voting

Labour.’ It’s like, what planet are
you on?!

“Then there were people saying 1
shouldn’t be allowed into schools,
that I’ll burn in hell. That sort of stuff.
And everyone seemed to know 1 was
gay because the media constantly
referred to the fact. 1 told them I’m
the Liberal Democrat candidate, but
it always seemed to be printed that
I’m ‘the gay candidate.’”

He argues that gay rights is
inherent to the Lib Dem outlook
on the world: “The clue is in the
title. Liberalism stands for people
being who they are without too
much interference from the state,
not having to conform to other
people’s expectations, feeling free
to go about your business without
victimisation, prejudice or control
over your life. In terms of record,
the Liberals were there speaking
up for gay rights long before many
other people were.

“1 think the Conservative Party is
still on a journey. Though to give the
Prime Minister credit, 1 think he’s
been a big part of that. But you’ve
still got to face the fact that - in the
vote on equal marriage in 2013 -
more than half of their MPs didn’t
support it.”

The same-sex marriage vote
was unlike just about any: It was a
civil rights issue. Was it not odd to
see colleagues, and even friends,
debating his very existence in
law? “There were some speeches
made, in terribly polite language.

about how if a man married a man
it would be some dreadful change
we shouldn’t rush into. And I’m
pretty thick-skinned, but some of it
was quite hurtful. Hearing people
elected on the same page as me,
standing up in the Chamber and
saying that if 1 love someone, my
rights are not the same as their
rights. It’s saying that a small
proportion of the population should
be denied certain rights, and
therefore in their mind they’re
saying I’m not as good as them.”

About one third of MPs voted
against marriage equality. Could
he vote for a candidate, even a Lib
Dem, who’d been anti-equality?

“1 personally would probably
find it very difficult to vote for a
candidate who did not support my
human rights. Almost impossible,
in fact. It would mean one of their
core beliefs is that I’m not equal to
them,” Stephen says, speaking more
frankly than all the MPs we spoke
with. “1 was very disappointed in
some of my colleagues, shall we say.
Really disappointed.”

As a minister in the coalition,
Stephen has been responsible
for community cohesion - which
includes better representation of
gay people. “1 find it incredible, for
example, that there are still no out
gay footballers. 1 think the role of
the government is to offer strong
encouragement to the FA that a gay
footballer can feel comfortable to
come out while they’re playing.” ■

Same-sex marriage

44

voted for

04

voted against

07

did not vote

OUT CANDIDATES

Why vote
Lib Dem, Steve?

[01] For a strong liberal
voice in government.
There are a lot of
extreme voices at the
moment, like UKIP, and
there has to be a voice
like ours that speaks up
about racism, sexism
and homophobia.

[02] We need to tie
up civil partnerships

and open them up to
straight couples, so
anyone can marry or
have a civil partnership.
[03] We make these
issues a priority. It
would’ve never seen
the light of day under
a purely Conservative
government. It’s thanks
to the Deputy Prime
Minister and Lynne
Featherstone, liberals,
that they did. ■

34 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[election]

NATAUE BENNET
GREEN

Natalie Bennett, 49, originally

hails from Australia where she lived
for much of her youth - studying
in Sydney and coming across
gay issues for the first time while
playing sports.

“1 played a lot of women’s cricket,”
she begins, “and it’s true, there
were a lot of lesbian women playing
cricket. What tended to happen
is that women who went off and
married men, they tended to do
different things on the weekend.
Whereas women cricketers would
form a relationship with each other
so they could both play cricket on
the weekend.

“That was my first awareness
of these issues. And some of my
school teachers who 1 played
cricket with outside school, they
weren’t out in the school, but that
became obvious.”

Lesbian cricket opened her eyes,
along with two years doing feminist
volunteering in Thailand - where
she says many gay men confided
in her of their fears at pressures to
have a traditional family.

She’s keen to assert that Britain
is home, repeating that she “chose
to be British”, and considered the
introduction of same-sex marriage

an important statement about British
culture. Though none of her gay
friends have married - “They just
don’t like the idea of marriage”

- she commends it as David
Cameron’s biggest achievement.

But equality in civil partnerships
is a much bigger issue for the
Green leader. “I’ve campaigned
on this a lot,” Natalie asserts,
arguing it comes back to her
feminism. “1 can’t imagine
marriage, a civil partnership
would feel more comfortable for
me. But that’s not why 1 campaign
on it - it’s just an option that should
be there for everyone.”

Sex and relationship education
is also pertinent. Caroline Lucas,
the Green’s first MP, put forward a
bill to Parliament that would have
LGBT issues mandatorily included
in sex ed. “1 think it should start
as soon as you start school,” she
explains, putting the Greens in-
line with similar policies of Labour
and the Lib Dems.

Her reasons for educating kids
“age appropriately” from age
four, however, differ. “Kids are
going through all sorts of changes,
and puberty is happening on
average earlier and earlier,”

Natalie explains, pointing out that
these are her own views and are
“controversial, by the way.” What’s
causing early pubescence is,
apparently, “some of the chemicals
we’re putting into water,” as well
as high fat diets and changes in
nutrition. “There’s a whole lot of
stuff!”

Nevertheless, it’s party policy
to have laws changed to make
schools educate everyone about
gay issues. They don’t believe in
a national curriculum, but “every
school should have to have a
policy on homophobic bullying

- if a teacher or supervisor sees
something, they need guidelines
on how to react.”

Bigotry remains a problem in
many walks of life. One Green
parliamentary candidate, for

Cambridge, described trans
women as, “a sort of ‘opt-in’ version
of what it is to be a woman.” It was
surprising, given the Greens have
an impressive record on these
issues - it’s noted they began
supporting marriage equality
so long ago that they can’t even
remember. Bennett said at the
time that Greens “express our
sympathies with anyone who was
hurt or offended by [his] remarks.”

That’s not the only issue she’s
resolute on. Asked about the
relatively high rates of drug use
in the gay community, she says:
“The war on drugs has failed.

We should be treating drugs as
a health issue and not a criminal
justice issue - that’s where the
Greens are coming from.” And
she speaks from experience:

“When 1 was at university 1 had
a few puffs of marijuana, but it
wasn’t really for me, my lungs felt
like sandpaper.”

The Greens would overturn the
blood ban - abolishing the current
situation of a year’s abstinence for
men who have sex with men - and
offer specialist services around HIV
prevention and awareness, though
they don’t have a stance on PrEP.

Not everything can be done by
law. Cultural change is important -
and nowhere is that more apparent
than in sports, with not a single
out footballer in Britain. Should
England be heading to the Qatar
World Cup? “Personally no, that’s
my personal opinion,” she says,

“1 think there are so many issues
around Qatar - gay rights issues,
workers’ rights issues.

“1 think very clearly there’s a
real cultural problem. That’s why
athletes so often have come out
after they’ve finished competing.
There’s a serious responsibility for
sport. The evidence suggests it’s
lagging behind because people
aren’t coming out. If there’s
homophobic chants, for example,
it should be treated in the same
way as racism.” ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT35

health & beauty ^' — ' ShOW

CO

in association with

Harley Street Skin'

16-17 May 2015 I London Olympia

anti-ageingshow.com

CLINIC

Over the next 36
pages, you’ll find
eveiything from
interviews, tip^
statistics, advice and
more on how to take
care of your body a
little better. If you
want to, that is. Plus,
supeiheroes tell us
how they get their
bodies battle ready!

WORDS DARREN SCOTT IMAGES DISNEY

[hero]

Avengers: Age of Ultron

40 GT ^

4

big kid at heart - that’s what we’re

discovering Chris Evans is. And, it
turns out, he’s a bit of a geek too.

The man behind Captain
America’s winged mask has started
our conversation by saying how
much of a comic book fan he is and,
well, you know we love a man who
loves his comics. . .

“1 didn’t know who Ultron was
prior to Joss [Whedon, writer
and director] throwing him in the
movie. . .” he says of the big bad in
the latest superhero blockbuster.
Avengers: Age of Ultron.

“That’s so funny!” he says
when we reference having first
experienced the robotic villain
in 1984’s Secret Wars series. He
adopts a mockingly boasty voice.

“1 kind of fancy myself a bit of a
comic connoisseur, but he was new
to me - I’m impressed you knew
who he was.”

Is it wrong that we’re cheering on
the bad guy?

“No! Of course not! That’s what
makes good movies like this. Look
how good Tom Hiddleston was.

The more you like the bad guy, the
more entertaining the movie is. If
you don’t care about the bad guy
at all then there really isn’t much
conflict to invest in.”

It turns out Chris hasn’t read
Secret Wars, so we’re still that little
bit geekier. But he’s the man in
charge, so he wins. Just.

[hero]

“It sounds silly to say this but
it really is growing on me,” he
says of the role in question. “The
first movie, you’re so scared and
the second one, you’re trying to
not mess up this amazing group
ensemble that’s trying to kind
of revolutionise the way they do
comic book films. By the third time
you put the suit on, with Captain
America 2, you really start to find
your footing and then hit your
stride and feel really comfortable.
You’re very present with it, you’re
not necessarily worried about the
future or trying to analyse the past.
You’re very much present. And I’m
loving it. It’s kind of at the point
where you’re almost sad to see the
end coming around the corner in
the next couple of years.”

The 33-year-old seems surprised
when we mention that he’s fast on
the way to being the actor to play
a superhero role the most - with
Hugh Jackman currently reigning
with seven stints as Wolverine.

“Wow, that’s a lot. . . You sign
those big contracts and that was
part of my initial apprehension
when 1 first signed up, because
they DO have a plan, and the plan
involves you to be committed to a
role for six movies. And that’s just
kind of intimidating. But now that
it’s kind of happened and we’ve
actually crossed the midway
point, it almost feels like it’s gone
by a bit too quick.”

On the day Chris and GT speak,
the news is full of him visiting,
in full costume, sick children in
hospital with another Marvel-lous
Chris. That would be Chris Pratt,
aka Guardians of the Galaxy’s
Star-Lord. Ever humble, he almost
shrugs it off.

“Oh right, yeah, that was a fun
trip...”

Does he not think he’s opening

GT41

the floodgates to lots of gay men
putting on fake coughs to try and
get a visit from the pair of them in
costume?

He laughs hard. “That’s really
funny actually. It’s nice being able
to do that stuff, and Chris Pratt’s
such a good guy - I’ve really got
to give him credit. He was the one
behind organising all of it, so 1 can’t
take too much of the credit.”

See, we told you. Humble.

And that costume is no easy
thing. . . Michelle Pfeiffer used lots
of talc in Batman Returns - does the
Captain have a similar trick?

“There really is no trick getting
into it, it’s with the help of multiple
people. The problem is just the
amount of sweat that’s produced. At
the end of the day you’re peeling
that costume off and there’s
probably... you lose at least five,
ten pounds a day. That might be
a bit of an over-exaggeration, but
it certainly does feel that way. It’s
a tough thing to do stunt work in.
When you start running around and
throwing punches and kicks, you
really start heating up.”

Do we spot a sideline for when
Avengers finishes - The Captain
America Workout DVD?

Chris laughs. “Yes! That’s right!”
He adopts an advertising voice.

“All you need is a Captain America
suit and trust me, you WILL lose
weight!”

Does that not pose a problem,
given that he needs to maintain a
certain size?

“Yeah, that’s one of the things
I’ve always said to the higher-ups
at Marvel. They have to sympathise
with the fact that we’re all trying
to put on as much muscle as we
possibly can, but these suits are so
counter-productive. Once you start
filming, you’re ONLY losing weight.
It’s so hard to maintain your size,
that’s why you try and get as big as
you possibly can prior to filming,
because by the time you finish
shooting you’re gonna be about ten
pounds lighter.”

Between shooting, does he slim
down?

“Oh, 1 lose it ALL. 1 lose every bit
of muscle I’ve gained during the
film. The second we’ve finished
filming 1 don’t even think about the
gym for months. So I’m actually
just getting back into it right now.

1 started picking up some weights
around February. It takes about
three months to get back where
you need to be. But in the in-
between time 1 avoid the gym like
the plague, because, you know,
your body can only take so much.
My body, naturally, doesn’t want
to be as big as 1 try to make it for
those films. So you try to give
your body a rest. You give your
joints a rest, you just let your body
recuperate. But now it’s time to get
back in action.”

What’s his best tip for getting that
body?

“Hmmm... This sounds so
meathead-ish but you really have to
do bench press and squats. Those
two things, your whole body just
kind of gets bigger as a result.
They’re better than any other
individual exercise 1 can think of.
Everything just kind of grows. . .”

But how many, until we can look
like that? He laughs. “1 wish 1
could give you some shortcuts,
unfortunately there is NO shortcut.”

Talking of body, does he not feel
that Thor is stealing his shirtless
thunder?

“1 think Thor steals
EVERYONE’S shirtless thunder,
he’s tough to compete with.” He
thinks about it and chuckles.

“Well, Marvel know what they’re
doing, what can 1 say...”

Uh, that they’re wrong? Although
Star-Lord is now creeping up the
popularity stakes with the gay fans
- what’s the Captain going to do to
fight back?

“Oh God, it’s a losing battle 1
suppose. Some you just can’t win!”
he laughs.

We suggest he’s topped the polls
before, he can again...

[hero]

“Which polls? The shirtless ones?
Oh no, am 1 slipping in the polls?
No, you can be honest... Go ahead,
give me the truth, have 1 fallen?
Goddammit!”

Well it’s Star-Lord’s fault.

“Oh, is it? Well 1 might have to
take him out...”

He’s previously mentioned Brad
Pitt as his man crush - and he’s
sticking with that.

“Yeah, probably still going to be
Brad. He’s just in too many of my
favourite movies. He’s a tough one
to beat, too.”

He’s happy to joke along as
we make our obligatory gay
references, but we can’t not ask
about the gay fan base that put him,
a straight man, in those polls...

“1 guess 1 don’t always
compartmentalise it like that, like,
‘This is my gay fan base and that’s
my straight fan base,”’ he laughs.
“It’s just nice to have a fan base,

1 suppose. So anyone that comes
up and has something nice to say,

1 don’t say ‘OK, put that one in the
gay box,”’ he laughs again. “1
guess 1 don’t see it that way.”

Something else that makes our
geekish gay heart flutter - rumours

that Spider-Man will join Chris
in Civil War. . . He adopts a very
knowing tone. “That’s right...”

How does he feel about sharing
the screen with the web-slinger?

“1 think it’s great! 1 love what
Marvel is doing. Marvel is
really trying to break rules and
tread new territory and just
give the fans what they want.

It’s an exciting possibility and
I’m hoping that comes together
because 1 think that would just
be a kind of spectacle. 1 think
people would be thrilled to see

that crossover happen, so I’m
keeping my fingers crossed.”

This is the kind of thing that’s
going to make the internet
explode.

“Yeah, exactly, exactly. Well,

1 mean, even me,” he says,
suddenly excited. “Just as a fan
of comic books, that’s something
1 wanna see too! So I’m honoured
to be apart of it.”

Who does he think should be the
new Spider-Man?

“God, that’s a good question.

I’d say maybe go young. Make
him 16-years-old like he’s
supposed to be in the comic

books. That actually might
be kinda cool to give a very
youthful feel to the character.
Marvel... They don’t make bad
decisions, they really don’t.”

Maybe in merchandise, we
suggest, having seen his face
on underpants... His mother
keeps all of the Captain America
merchandise - “we’re running out
of space in our attic. . .” - and the
weirdest thing he’s seen his face
on is chewing gum, but being an
action figure ranks high on his
achievements.

“It’s great. 1 kind of wish 1 could
somehow rewind my life and go
back to being 11-years-old and
kinda pit myself against He-Man
in a giant battle to the death in
my bedroom. 1 still, every now
and then, might try and slip into
my childhood and throw out a
few catchphrases while 1 make
my action figure run across the
kitchen table. It’s fun. It’s fun to
tap into your youth and kind of
see it through a child’s eyes.”

With rumours that Chris is
packing it all in to become a
director, we’re concerned for the
future of our Captain. But fear not..

“I’d venture to say if they’d
have me... 1 think it’s almost
like high school. You’re kind of
always looking ahead, about
when you’ll graduate, but then
when graduation day arrives you
kind of don’t wanna leave. So 1
wouldn’t be surprised if, once we
wrap Infinity Wars. . . 1 AM gonna
try and focus on directing a bit
more, but by no means am 1 done
acting. And if they’d have me
back, yeah. I’d probably consider
it.”

So there’s a chance we will see
that face-off with Star-Lord?

“Wouldn’t that be fun?”

But who would win. . .

“God, that’s a tough one. That’s a
tough one. I’m gonna go with Cap.
Gotta go with Cap.” ■

Avengers: Age of Ultron is in cinemas
now, ©chrisevans

44 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[body]

We asked 1,000 gay and bisexual
men about their bodies. What they’d
change, what they love and to what
lengths they’d go to get the ‘perfect’
body- if such a thing even exists, that
is. Ilien we tallied the results and
asked the experts so that we can now
reveal the naked truth about how gay
men really feel about their bodies...

The old adage goes that we only

have one body, so we should make it
last a lifetime.

And some of us do. Some of us
spend so many hours in the gym
we practically live there, toning
^ every nook and cranny, spending
g our heard-earned cash on the latest
4 whey protein infused whatever.
Some of us, if we’re being honest,
could perhaps look after ourselves a
little better. Fewer pints here, fewer
takeaways there, and maybe even a
morning jog every once in a while.

The point is though, practically
all of us are thinking about how we
look. According to the results of our
survey, anyway, which found that a
massive 90% of gay and bisexual
men - that’s you lot - think about
their size and shape quite regularly.

But as you’ll see from the next few
pages, we’re perhaps not thinking
too positively. More than half of us
say that gay men, in general, have

a poor body image. And only a
quarter of us are confident with the
way that we look.

We want to say now, for the record,
that this survey hasn’t come about
to judge anyone, or make anyone
feel bad about the way they look.
Our relationship with our bodies is
one of the most complicated we’ll
have in our lifetime, and the only
way to make it better is to have a
greater understanding of how we
- and everyone else - really feels.
Hopefully our experts, with their
sage advice and analysis, will help
squelch any hangups you might
have, or help you feel better about
any you’ve had in the past.

But what’s important here is to get
you lot thinking and talking about
yourselves.

So it’s time for GT to reveal the
facts - like never before - about
what gay and bisexual men REALLY
think about about their bodies... ■

IHEGT BODY SURVEY 2015 MEET OUR BODY EXPERTS

Mark Byron 2014 Big Brother semi-finalist and self-confessed
cosmetic surgery addict. He’s since had rhinoplasty and liposuction
as a result of watching himself on TV.

RDr Anita Sturnham a GP and skincare specialist for more than 12
years, founder of NURISS Skincare and Wellness Clinic and former
TV doctor for The Alan Titchmarsh Show.

Chris Jones GT’s resident fitness expert, who has a history
suffering from body dysmorphic disorder. He shares his fitness
advice through his Average Joe-Mo column every issue.

Dr Harpal Bains heads up Harpal Clinic, which combines
■ nutritional and preventive medicine plus lifestyle changes to
achieve internal anti-ageing.

GT47

A half of respondents said they were unhappy with
it, while 34 % said it “depended on what mood they
were in.” Only 1% of people who responded said they
“didn’t really care that much.”

Dr Anita says “We are all more interested
in our appearance than we like to admit. I
don’t think that this is an indication of vanity,
however. I think modern society is very driven by image
and beauty and therefore having concern about one’s
appearance is quite normal and understandable.” ■

Only a quarter said that their friends
were confident about how they iooked

Chris says; “To echo an ever recurring
theme here, ‘Yes, I think we’re all victims
of perceiving we have poor body image.’
Adverts aimed at gay men expect us all to be big,
muscled, toned, thin, tanned and preened to hell - so of
course that’s helped seed insecurities. Unfortunately,
it’s something that won’t change overnight but you can
make small changes to YOURSELF, such as diet and
exercise, that can help deal with body image stress.” ■

But how
would we
describe
our own
bodies?

02 %

Muscular

08%

Toned

14%

Slim

oz%

Skinny

2SP/o

Average

29%

Bit chubby

i¥/o

Fat

02 %

Obese

Eight people
out of 1,000
said they
were

‘‘buiit iike
a brick
shithouse.”

56% - more than half said that, in
generai, they thought gay men had
a “poor body image,” and that guys
seem to stress out about it too much

Mark says: “It doesn’t surprise me that
more than half of people asked believe this.

1 can definitely relate to it as 1 find that 1 often
compare myself to men I’ll never EVER look like. It’s
important for me and a lot of my friends to strive for
perfection, and 1 do put unrealistic pressures on myself.
Unless 1 looked in impeccable physical condition, I’d feel
that my body image was poor. It seems to me that more
than half of the gay community also feel this way.” ■

And our body isn’t something we’re
keen on talking about with our
friends, either, with 47% saying that
if a friend asked if he looked fat, the
appropriate response would be to
say he looked great, even if it’s a lie,
while 5% said they’d rather quickly
change the subject

Mark says: “1 do feel that, on the whole, a lot
, of gay men - including me - will compare our

selves to our friends and partners. 1 think 47%
is quite a substantial percentage and personally feel the
reason behind it is that we can relate to the insecurities.
1 believe the 5% is for the same reason. Honesty isn’t
always the best policy when it comes to telling people
how they look, it seems!” ■

Mark says; “Again, I believe this comes
from comparing ourselves to other
gay men. Nobody wants to feel chubby
or unattractive sitting on Brighton beach or in
Soho Square on a hot summer’s day! Luckily this
percentage isn’t too high. I personally wouldn’t
take my top off in public. 1 put a lot of effort into my
outfits, so I’d rather people see my amazing shirt than
something I’d feel insecure about!” ■

48 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[body]

09 %

such as David Beckham, it’s no wonder that many men
feel under pressure to improve their appearance.

I’m sure that the media drives both men and women’s

Buttocks

insecurities with their appearance.” ■

06 %

I Hair

04 %

j Chest

03 %

j Teeth

02 %

I Arms

• Dr Harpal says; “It’s important to keep in mind
that these people are paid to look that way -
and have the resources to find a way to do it!

The rest of us have time constraints, stress in life - which
leads to classic ‘stress’ or ‘cortisol’ style weight gain in
the abdomen and face - plus, we like our socialising and
food! If you’re living around 70-80% right, you should
congratulate yourself. Life is all about balance.” ■

2/3s of us said we^d rather be a little
bit bigger if it meant that we were in
good health, rather than smaller and
unhealthy. Cheers to that

01 %

Nose

01 %

Stomach

01 %

Waist

16 %

Couldn’t
even pick a
favourite
body part!

• Dr Anita says; “Newsflash.... Being ‘fit’ is the
new thin! Many of us now realise that the best
way of improving our health and wellbeing
is to exercise and to eat well. Building lean muscle
mass is a great way of keeping our metabolic rates up,
improving energy levels and our general health. But
muscle weighs more than fat, so as we workout and
convert the unhealthy fat to muscle, we’ll look more
toned, but may weigh heavier on the scales. The weight
on the scales is not the important factor here..” ■

• Dr Harpal says; “This is quite a healthy

attitude as it denotes self-acceptance. But the
definition of ‘bigger’ needs to be redefined.
If most of the weight gain is in the abdomen, this could
point to various potential problems in the future, like
metabolic syndrome, testosterone deficiency and high
stress of adrenal fatigue.” ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT49

1/10 the number of gay and bisexual
men whoVe had a surgical or non-
invasive procedure to improve their
bodies in the past. But what kind of
procedures have this group had?

30 % botox

23 % laser hair removal
17 % liposuction
15 % dermal fillers
15 % rhinoplasty

07 % radio frequency skin tightening

07 % hair transplant

06 % penis enlargement

06 % fat freezing

06 % abdominoplasty

06 % face lift

01 % arm lift

01 % neck lift

01 % blepharoplasty

Mark says; “rve had botox, laser hair
removal, liposuction AND rhinoplasty!
Cosmetic enhancements are nothing to brag
about and 1 do believe that people shouldn’t take them
lightly. For me, I was always unconfident about my lack
of abs and my nose - so as soon as 1 had the opportunity
to change them, I did. 1 definitely feel that I’m quite
extreme and almost obsessed with my image, which
isn’t a positive thing. I’ve had procedures done - lips,
botox - that I didn’t even need, and I’ll surely have done
again. Luckily, this is a really low percentage of the gay
community and hopefully it stays that way.” ■

[body]

72% - nearly three quarters of us have
considered having either a surgical or
non-invasive procedure in the future.
But 29% of those were strict in saying
they didn’t want to go under the knife

Dr Harpal says; “These days, the need to go
under the knife has decreased considerably
with fat-busting procedures, like fat freezing,
and more traditional but highly effective ‘in between’
techniques, like Vaser liposuction. Skin rejuvenation
procedures range from Ellanse - a collagen stimulating
filler - radio frequency to increase collagen,
threadlifting and growth factor technology for hair loss.
There’s something for most people without having to
resort to surgery.” ■

said they’d be willing to pay up to
five grand to get the perfect body

1/10 said nrioney would be no object

On the flip-side, a third of us said we’d
never be willing to part with any of
our money for a cosmetic procedure

Dr Anita says “More than 50,000 cosmetic
surgery procedures were performed in the UK
last year, according to the British Association
of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, with liposuction recording
a 41% rise. However, with the risks of ‘going under
the knife’ being highlighted regularly in the press,
people are also looking more and more for non-surgical
alternatives to improve their body image.” ■

What
potential
procedures
are we
thinking of
having?

44 %

Liposuction

37 %

Laser hair
removal

29 %

Botox

21 %

Fat freezing

20 %

Skin

tightening

ISVo

Abdomino

plasty

ISVo

Facelift

17 %

Penis

enlargement

16 %

Rhinoplasty

11 %

Neck lift

02 %

Threadlift

f Dr Anita says: “It seems that every week

brings a new diet craze. From low-fat, to low-
carb, to food combining, to caveman diets.

In my experience, if something sounds too good to be
true, then it probably is! If these fad diets really worked,
then we’d all be on them and we’d stay on them. The
reality is that fad diets don’t work to help you lose weight
in a sustainable way. Doctors and dieticians continue
to emphasise the same advice that they’ve been
advocating for years. To lose weight, we need to eat less
and exercise more. Simple.” ■

29% - the number of gay men whoVe
tried a ‘fad dief to shift some weight.

Common diets tried include Atkins, the 5:2 and dangerous ‘crash diets.’

Dr Harpal says: “Most diets have some basis
of genuine science in them. The difficulty is
to differentiate between the real science and
the pseudo-science. It’s also important to remember
that there’s no such thing as ‘one size fits all.’ One
amazing book that analyses how and why different
diets work for different people is Living Low Garb by
Jonny Bowden. Even if it’s not your choice of diet, his
method of analysis is worth its weight in gold - and may
help towards a lifestyle approach to eating, as opposed
to the next fad diet. But if you’re ever in doubt, ask
yourself what your ancestors ate...” ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT51

40% are currently members of a

56% - think that men are attracted
to all kinds of different body types.
But 1/2 of us think that gay men only
want guys with ‘perfect’ bodies.

Mark says: “I can’t really relate to either
, of these things as I’d never actively seek

a partner just based on how well their abs
show! 1 think people find six packs attractive as they
are a sign of hard work and physical fitness which
is a great combination! It’s a pity that 50% have this
opinion and 1 believe it comes from insecurity once
again, and the belief that you need to have the body of
a God to settle down with a partner.” ■

Chris says: “1 think we just put too much
pressure on ourselves and our looks. To
be frank and honest, if you’re having sex
then that person clearly sees something that you’re
refusing to! Starting a light exercise regime will make
you feel confident and yes, more attractive. Releasing
endorphins will make you feel positive about whipping
off that shirt! Make a start, it can be a slow process but

what is stopping you?” ■

Some of
us may be
members
of gyms,
but how
often do
we go?

02 %

More than
once a day, 1
live there!

Iff/o

Daily

49 %

Two or three
times a week

Off/o

Once a week

04 %

Monthly

11 %

Rarely

08P/o

I’m a
member,
but I can’t
remember
the last time
I went...

Chris says: “Any visit to the gym is brilliant.
It’s a positive step in the right direction
and the goal is to feel good about yourself
and wanting people to notice. Let’s be honest, here.
Depending on your aims and ideal results, heading
to the gym between three and four times a week is a
healthy amount for someone who wants to tone up and
increase/maintain lean muscle. But according to this
statistic, 19% are hardly going and just wasting their
money?! If you have that money lying around, then book
into a bootcamp or hire a personal trainer instead!” ■

25% - a quarter of us have actually
gone as far to cancel a date because
weVe been unhappy with how we
looked. 42% - a large portion of us,
2/5, said that weVe been criticised
by our boyfriends or even sexual
partners about our bodies and how
we look. Which isn’t the nicest thing
to hear from someone we love/lust...

Chris says: “Gah! I mean, it’s so easy to blame
the media... So I’ll blame some other things as
well! I grew up watching WWE and reading
comic books. ‘Oh hello, both are filled with big muscular
men.’ That lodged into my psyche at an early age - ‘This
is what I must look like to attract someone.’ Like gay men,
body dysmorphia comes in all shapes and sizes. We all
have it on different levels.” ■

2/3 - most of us say we’re happy with
what we’ve been given in the trouser
department, sticking to the old adage
that it’s not the size, it’s how we use it.,

10% fried a penis enhancing product

52 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[body]

the number of
us who exercise
“at home”

Whether that’s using
weights, or going for a
run around the park

52 %

Chris says: “I can see WHY men are driven
to steroids as they see a need to ‘become that
big muscle guy, and steroids are the only
way.’ Yes, steroids are very easy to get hold of these
days, despite them being illegal in the UK. If anyone is
tempted by them then let me remind you that they’re
a drug with a short-term shelf life. You don’t commit
to using them regularly your ‘new muscle gains’ will
fade and you’ll have only messed up your natural
testosterone levels. Not worth it, boys!” ■

Survey For more information

You can find help and support for issues involving
negative body image, dysmorphic disorder or even
reliance on steroids at the following services;

nhs.uk, mind. org.uk, healthexpress.co.uk or contact your local GP.

Chris says; “This is higher than I expected.
You can achieve the body you want by
working out at home or going for a run. 1
believe any movement is just simply better than none!
If you’re careful of your diet and say, do three sets of
ten press-ups in the morning - when your testosterone
levels are high - you’ll start to notice a difference. And
in my eyes, that’s bare minimum.” ■

33 out of 1,000 said theyVe used
steroids to enhance gym performanoe

Dr Anita Sturnham and Dr Harpal Bains will be appearing at The Anti-
Ageing Health and Beauty Show at London’s Olympia on 16-17 May. GT
readers can buy two-for-one tickets by quoting GTMAG at the checkout,
or get £10 off a VIP package, anti-ageingshow.com, 0844 2097323.

BUSINESS

54 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[body]

WORDS JOHN MARRS

Unhappy with what you’re packing
downstairs? Getting sniggers from
size queens? Well help is at hand if
you’ve got £4,000 and some fat to
spare. After hair transplants, penis
enlargements are fast becoming big
business for plastic surgeons. GT
examines the lengths some men go
to, to pack a punch in their pants

Only the smug and the self-assured

would turn down the offer of an
extra couple of inches or a little
more girth in their manhood.

Even though we’re reasonably
satisfied with our lot, being the
proud owner of a bigger cock is just
wishful thinking for some of us.

But for others, witnessing the
likes of David Beckham proudly
using his God-given (cock and)
ball skills to advertise his undies
range has made them question
whether or not what they have to
offer is enough.

And those gay men who’ve
decided they don’t measure up are
resorting to surgery to produce a
plumper penis.

There are three proven
penoplasty techniques that will
give you those all-important extra
inches. Penis girth surgery - or
lipofilling - involves injecting fat
from another part of your body into
your dick. Penis length surgery is
the most common technique, and
involves cutting the ligament that
attaches the penis to the pubic
bone and performing a skin graft
at the base of the penis for extra
length. And for blokes with a
bigger belly, liposuction removes
fat below the abdomen to make
your dick look larger.

Last year, Harley Street plastic
surgeon Dr Roberto Viel performed
penoplasty on at least five men a
week - that’s 300 operations in a
year for just the one doctor. Extra
width will cost you £3,850, while
lengthening is about £4,000.

“For most of our clients, they
simply feel self-conscious in the
gym changing room or when
wearing swimming trunks,”
explains Dr Roberto. “I’d say
around 80% of my clients want an
increase in both girth and
length. The penoplasty can
increase flaccid length by
one to four inches and the
circumference by about the same
amount. But we’re very realistic
about what we can achieve.

“We have seen a huge increase
in penoplasty and since the
David Beckham H&M campaign
began, we’ve seen mammoth
waiting lists in our clinics.”

Danny was 42 when he had
his first penpolasty with Dr
Roberto. He admits that since his
schooldays, he has felt insecure
getting changed in front of other
men. “1 knew 1 was below average
and thought having a bigger
penis might also be appreciated
by my boyfriend,” he tells us. “So
1 saved up the money and had
the op, which took just over an
hour. 1 was quite sore for several
days, with some bruising around
my groin. Then 1 couldn’t stop
looking in the mirror! I’d gone
from a 3inch flaccid penis to
more than 5inch - and the girth
almost doubled. 1 felt completely
different and it had a really
positive knock-on effect on my
confidence. My boyfriend thought
1 was silly to take risks with
surgery, but he admitted he was
really impressed and said sex

gaytimes.co.uk

GT55

Non-surgical

laltemativ^

Tablets and
lotions

Makers of tablets
and lotions claim
they contain
vitamins, minerals,
herbs and hormones
to give you a bigger
manhood. But there’s
no clinical evidence
they work and some
can be dangerous.
America’s University
of Maryland
examined some
treatments and
discovered they
contained traces
of lead, pesticides,

E coli bacteria and
animal faeces.
Chance of success:

Zero.

Vacuum

pumps

This is where you
place a tube over
your wee fella and
then pump out
the air to create
a vacuum. The
vacuum draws
blood into your knob
and makes it swell.
But if you overuse it,
you risk damaging
your penis’ tissue,
making your
erections much
weaker.

Chance of success:

Zero.

Penis

extenders

To make your
cock larger,
these devices
involve putting a
weight or a small
extending frame
on your floppy
dick to stretch it.
Some men using
traction devices
have seen a 1-2cm
growth, but use
it incorrectly and
you risk causing
yourself damage.

Chance of success:

Minimal.

Jelqing

Not to be mistaken
with jerking, jelqing
is where you
repeatedly pull
your flaccid dick
using your thumb
and index finger to
increasing the size
of your hard-on.
The idea is that
it’ll increase the
blood capacity of
the penis’ erectile
tissue, increasing
the length and
girth. The reality
is it makes no
difference... But it’s
fun trying.

Chance of success:

Zero. ■

And what if you have trouble
keeping the little guy up? Health
Express independent medical
advisor Dr Hilary Jones explains...

“Is it common? Yes!
The majority of
men will experience
at least a slight
form of erectile
dysfunction in their
lives - from having
one too many drinks
to feeling fatigued.
And persistent ED
becomes more
common with age.
The first thing to do
if you feel you have
ED is head to your
GP. It can be caused
by one of a whole
spectrum of issues,
so clarifying with
your GP will leave
you feeling confident

you’re on the best
path. Alternatively,
you can visit
reputable sources
like healthexpress.
co.uk who can
provide advice and
treatment solutions.
There’s usually no
cause for worry.

As causes can be
mental or physical,
treatment could be
as simple as a chat
with your partner
or a change in diet.
For more persistent
cases though,
there are always
effective medications
available.” ■

was better, too. It became more
frequent and lasted longer.”

While Michael, 30, is confident
about his looks, he had his
operation because he felt he
lacked something downstairs. “It
wasn’t small but it wasn’t big,”
he explains. “Since having the
procedure a year ago. I’ve met
a lovely guy and the sex is more
intense than before my op - and
much more satisfying. Whether
that’s because I’m more confident
or because the op means the fat in
my penis restricts blood flow and
intensifies it. I’m not sure.

“I have to go to the clinic
every few months to have fat
transferred but I don’t mind. I
think the fat should eventually
stay put and I’ll be left with
a bigger manhood. No one
knows I’ve had the op, not even
my boyfriend, but I’ve put my
insecurities to bed.”

However, like all operations,
penoplasty doesn’t come without
its complications. “These include
infection, bleeding, or blood
clotting; however this occurs
in less than 1% of patients and
drains and heals spontaneously,”
adds Dr Roberto. “In some cases
with enlargement surgery, the
shaft may be asymmetrical or
lumps may occur due to the
position of the fat. But gentle
massage should normally resolve
this problem.

“Penoplasty is now a well
established cosmetic procedure,
having been performed for the last
ten years. It’s safe, effective and,
with no foreign material or implants
introduced, complications are rare.”

But should we stop becoming
obsessed with a quick fix
solution and tackle the root of
penis envy instead? Professor
Kevan Wylie, a sexual
medicine consultant, says men
worried about their cock size
should consider talking to
a health professional before
experimenting with treatments.

“Many men who worry
about the size of their penis
generally have overall body
image issues,” he says. “They
tend to focus their poor body
image on their penis. Often,
counselling can make a real
difference by building self-
esteem, correcting distorted
views about body image and
learning more about what
makes people attractive.”

Former British Association
of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons
(BAAPS) president and
consultant plastic surgeon Nigel
Mercer says penis enlargements
are still at the more extreme
end of the plastic surgery
procedures. “They’re not
procedures for the occasional
plastic surgeon and few would
be trained for them in the UK,”
he explains. “It’s not a common
request from patients and those
requesting it will need careful
counselling, and perhaps
psychological evaluation.

“Lipofilling may have more
effect on a flaccid than an erect
penis, it may need to be repeated
and all the fat may not even
take. Plus, if the fat is injected in
the wrong place, it may cause
scarring and that may cause the
erection to bend.

“Managing the patient’s
expectations will be the key
to their satisfaction with the
outcome. I’d suggest that these
qualify as extreme procedures
and are NOT guaranteed to
improve sexual performance
or satisfaction. With the
risks associated, it’s perhaps
understandable that the
operations aren’t mainstream.”

But for those who’ve had the
operation, they have no regrets.
“Two years on, the girth has
reduced but it’s still way bigger
than before,” adds Paul. “I don’t
regret having it done and I’m
only a bit annoyed with myself
for not getting it done sooner.” ■

56 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

51

[body]

Those with a full head of hair spend
hundreds of pounds a year cutting,
styling and primping it. But how do
you perceive yourself when you’re
gay, bald and living in a community
that puts so much emphasis on
looks? GT meets those who hate
being hairless, those who embrace it
and what you can do to prevent it

“It was so gradual I barely noticed

it at first,” recalls John Wallace,

38. “1 was cutting my hair shorter
and shorter anyway, so it was only
when 1 tried to grow it longer that
1 realised that it wasn’t going to
happen.”

John is one of the 40% of men who
start losing their locks before the
age of 35. And whether we love it or
loathe it, almost all of us will have
joined him by 60.

But in the desperation to hold on to
our youth, we’re polarised when it
comes to losing our hair. Is balding
bad or beautiful?

John’s quite happy with his
thinning mane, which he first
noticed in his late 20s. “For such a
paranoid gay, it never bothered me
all that much,” he admits. “I’m quite
concerned about my appearance,
but 1 just went with the balding,
possibly because 1 couldn’t really
do anything about it. I’ve never felt
unattractive because of it.

“And it helps that the baldness
actually seems to suit me. 1 also think
it can look really nice on other guys
too. I’ve not faced any prejudice from
the gay community and I’m very
aware of some guys loving the bald
head and facial hair types.”

As balding men are quick to point
out, some of the world’s sexiest
men are follically challenged. But
for every Jason Statham, there’s a
Michael Stipe. And for every man
who’s happy to sport a closely
cropped hairline, there’s one who
looks in the mirror wishing he had
hair again.

Jim Ryan, 33, started losing his
hair four years ago. But unlike John,
he wasn’t prepared to embrace it
so readily. “1 was concerned about
it,” he admits. “My confidence was
quite low anyway after my two-year
relationship ended and the fact that
my hair was falling out added to
feelings of insecurity. 1 got quite low
about it, mainly from a ‘will anyone
find me attractive anymore?’ point
of view. It was like the end of the
world and for a while it stopped me
from chatting to guys.

“When 1 was younger, 1 was quite
confident and would approach
people. Now, unless 1 had quite a
few glasses of wine inside me, 1
don’t think 1 would ever make the
first move on someone.”

Jim made several attempts to
treat and disguise his baldness,
but to no avail. “1 kept my hair
cut short, so people wouldn’t
notice that 1 was losing it,” he
recalls. “1 went through a phase
of wearing a baseball cap; 1 tried
caffeine shampoo for a year; a
friend suggested 1 stop eating
cheese so 1 tried that for a month,
and the same friend suggested 1
rub walnut oil into my head. After
trying this for a few months - with
no effect - 1 decided he was taking
the piss and stopped.

“I’m kind of getting used to it
now. Someone once said that 1
‘have a young face, but old hair,’
so I’m hoping my winning smile
counteracts the solar panel. But
being completely bald scares the
crap out of me. If 1 had the money

GT59

How much are you prepared

to pay for a full head of hair?

Dr Red

at The Private Ciinic of Harle

Uie treatments avaiiable

Wigs

£160 to £950

The oldest way to
disguise baldness
won’t cure it, but if
it’s convincing, it’s
a quick fix solution.
Hairpieces can be
styled, permed,
tinted, washed and
re-groomed.
Time taken: Two
weeks to order.

Dr Reddy says:
“Quality has
improved and some
look very natural.
However, toupees
can slip out of place
and thus give the
game away. You
can’t sleep or swim
in one and they can
also be quite hot
and uncomfortable
to wear. It’s the
most expensive
option when you
factor in the lifetime
costs of wearing
a wig.”

Hair in a can

£17

By spraying your
bald bits, products
like Restrand and
Thickitcoats match
each hair to give
you added texture
and thickness.

It lasts until you
shampoo it away,
but one rainstorm
and you’re busted.
Time taken:
Ten minutes.

Dr Reddy says:

“It’s a temporary
solution that works
better on darker
hair types. But it
can’t ‘fill in’ any
areas where there
isn’t already enough
hair for the product
to cling too. It’s
unsuitable for a
receding widow’s
peak or a bald
crown.”

Regaine

from £17.99

This helps slow the
rate of your hair loss
and maintains the
hair you do have. It
can’t be relied upon
to encourage re-
growth though.

Time taken:

16 weeks.

Dr Reddy says:
“I’d recommend it to
individuals who’re
at stages one-two
of hair loss - with
seven being the
most advanced.
Once your hair
loss has developed
past this stage, it’s
unlikely to have any
visible impact.”

Shampoo
and Foam

from £7

There are dozens
of thickening
shampoos designed
to improve hair
density. Ingredients
are designed to
increase follicles

and thicken the
shafts of existing
hair to grow in
thicker.

Time taken:
Two months.

Dr Reddy says:
“Unlikely to have
any noticeable
difference. If you
wear your hair long,
you may notice a
slight improvement
in hair texture after
prolonged usage,
but a shampoo
certainly won’t help
to delay hair loss
or encourage any
kind of regrowth.
Choose one that’s
SLS (Sodium Lauryl
Sulphate) free.
This chemical can
slow the rate of hair
loss.”

Laser Therapy

from £480

Products like iGrow
Hair Growth System
uses low-level laser
therapy technology,
red laser and
LED light diodes,
which stimulate
and energise cell
activity. Wear it on
your head every
other day for up to
25 minutes to re-
energise unhealthy
hair follicles and
encourage them
to grow.

Time taken:
From 16 weeks.
Dr Reddy says:

nft O

I’d have a hair transplant without a
moment’s hesitation.”

According to a recent survey, 60%
of hair loss sufferers would rather
have more hair than money or
friends. Almost half would spend
their life savings to regain a full
head of hair. And a third would give
up sex if they could have a flowing
mane again.

Matthew Hodson, of gay men’s
health charity GMFA, says we do
feel more pressure to look good
than straight men. “The concern
about our physical appearance
which drives some of us to the gym
doesn’t necessarily make us happy.
Data suggests almost half of gay and
bisexual men worry about the way
we look and wish we could think
about it less.

“For gay men, certainly there’s
a lot of pressure on the scene, and
from other gay men, to look and feel
attractive. It’s always easy to focus
on the things about yourself you
don’t think are attractive. Personally
I think a bald head is quite
attractive; it’s very masculine, but if
that’s not the look you want, that can
be a blow to your esteem.”

Why do we go bald? Here’s the
science bit. Our hair is made in hair
follicles - small pouches just under
the skin that last three years before
they’re shed, then a new hair grows.
But it’s thought that with male pattern
baldness, men’s follicles gradually
become smaller than normal, so
each hair becomes thinner than the
last one. It grows for less time before
eventually all that’s left is a thin
stump of hair that doesn’t peek out of
the skin’s surface.

Fifteen years ago, the only
affordable disguise for baldness
was a hat or a wig. Sir Elton John
made a career out of recycling
songs and hairpieces. “I don’t have
a good shaped head to be a bald
man,” he admitted. “I look like
Shrek.”

“All that money and he’s still got
hair like a dinner lady,” spat fellow
singer Boy George.

But since Elton’s heyday, the
number of options available has
dramatically increased. Now we can
pop pills and use food supplements
like Nourkrin to support the normal
hair growth cycle, or even have a
hair transplant. Or there’s JASON’s
Thin-to-Thick Scalp Elixir which
uses natural plant proteins to help
strengthen fine, thinning hair and
stimulates growth, while preventing
future hair loss.

If you have the money, you can
take a more drastic and permanent
route - like James Nesbitt and
Wayne Rooney. Gay Dancing on
Ice judge Jason Gardiner went
under the scalpel for a £22,000 hair
transplant. His operation was even
posted on YouTube. “Everybody,
from family to my closest friends,
said that I looked great without
hair,” he admitted. “But this hair
transplant is not for anybody else,
it is purely and simply because of
the way I feel about myself. A year
down the track, I can’t tell you how
impressed everyone is, including
myself.”

Darren Doherty, 38, had a hair
transplant in February 2013 at FUE
Hair Clinics. Five months later,
he could style it like anyone else.

“I was 24 when my hair started
receding,” he explains. “As a gay
man, it affected my confidence
and I’d get jealous of people with
hair who could style it. And being
bald made me feel older. I kept
thinking about a transplant and - as
it became more affordable - 1 saved
up and had it done.

“They shave your hair off and
numb the area where they’re putting
the hair in and where they’re taking
the graft from. It took the best part
of two days to complete - but it’s
virtually painless.

“Two years later and I’m still
looking at it in the mirror - it looks
amazing to have a proper hairline
again. It wasn’t immediate - it
grew, then fell out, then grew then
fell out again. I was starting to
panic but it’s normal and you could

60 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[body]

“I haven’t seen
any convincing
evidence that
a laser helps
to stimulate re-
growth.”

Scalp micro-
pigmentation

£500-£5,000

Your scalp tattooed
with tiny dots that
look like stubble.
There’s no invasive
surgery and no
scarring and while
it wont encourage
your hair to grow,
it’ll make it look like
you have a buzz
cut. Unlike tattoo
ink, it also keeps its
colour.

Time taken:
From two hours.
Dr Reddy says:
“This involves
colouring the
scalp to mimic
short hair; the only
hairstyle you could
achieve is of a
‘grade one’ shave.
The pigment can
fade overtime
and therefore will
require topping
up. You should
also consider the
implications of
choosing a specific
colour - natural
hair loses its
pigment and turns
grey over time.”

Propecia

£40 a month

Propecia is a

once-a-day
prescription only
tablet. It reduces
the amount of a
hormone in the
blood called DHT.

Improvement
usually continues
for two years and
in most cases there
is a noticeable
difference in hair
thickness after five
years.

Time taken:

About three

months.

Dr Reddy says:

“It slows the hair
loss process
and I subscribe
it regularly to
patients. But once
you stop taking it,
your hair loss will
quickly ‘catch up’
with where it would
have got to without
you ever taking
the drug.”

Vitamins

from £3

Vitamin B
increases hair
growth, while iron
helps reduce hair
loss. Heart-healthy
vitamin E also
helps stimulate
capillary growth,
which allows more
blood to flow to
your scalp and
makes your hair
grow faster.
Time taken:
One month.

Dr Reddy says:
“There isn’t
sufficient evidence
to support the
use of vitamins
specifically
as a hair loss
medication.”

Heaithy diet

from £1

Hair is mainly
made of protein so
eat a protein-rich
diet. Stick to leaner
proteins such
as fish, chicken,
low-fat cheese,
eggs, almonds,
beans, and yogurt.
Vitamin C improves
the absorption
of iron, so fruits
such as oranges,
strawberries and
lemons help. And
get zinc from red
meats, poultry,
nuts and oysters.
Time taken:
One month.

Dr Reddy says:
“There are many

benefits to a
healthy diet, but
prevention of hair
loss is not really
one of them.
Some evidence
suggests a diet
high in protein can
make hair and
nails stronger. But
you won’t notice a
radical difference
to the rate of your
hair loss.”

Hair

Transplant

£8,000-£30,000

This takes
individual follicles
out of the back and
sides of the head
which are then
grafted onto the
area where you’re
balding. The ‘mini’
and ‘micro’ graft
technique allows
single hairs or a
natural group of
two or three hairs
to be re-planted
in the direction of
your natural growth
pattern.

Time taken:
Nine hours,
then seven days

recovery.

Dr Reddy says:
“This is the only
option if you want a
permanent, natural
looking solution
to your hair loss.

Follicular unit
extraction (FUE)
procedure provides
the most natural
looking results
without leaving
any scarring. This
isn’t a solution
for anyone who is
completely bald.
You need to have
enough ‘donor’ hair
at the back of the
head to transplant
to receding or
thinning areas.” ■

theprivateclinic.

co.uk

see it constantly growing. I feel
like a different person since I’ve
had it done.”

Michael Psaltakis, managing
director of FUE Hair Clinics, was so
impressed with the hair transplant
he had years ago, he started his
own clinic. He had more than 100
clients in his first year.

“Men don’t know how easy and
affordable it is, and it can have
amazing results,” he says. “When
you start losing your hair, it’s
best to get treatment the earlier
the better. And we have an equal
number of gay men and straight
men who come to us.”

Some bald men have chosen
more alternative measures. When
gay French porn star Frangois
Segat went bald in his twenties, he
took the unusual option of tattooing
his head - not to be confused with
scalp micropigmentation.

“It was extremely painful for me
so we did it in two sessions over ten
hours,” he recalls. “But it’s helped
my modelling and porn career. If 1
was doing porn without this tattoo
1 wouldn’t have this career now - 1
would lose my personality. But 1
understand why people look at me
strangely.”

The two most popular treatments
for baldness are Propecia and

Regaine. Propecia is taken in
tablet form, while Regaine is
rubbed into your scalp twice a
day. Russell Jones, 27, began
taking Propecia 18 months ago
when he started losing his hair
around the crown. “1 was totally
freaked out,” he admits. “I’m way
too young to start looking like my
dad so 1 ordered Propecia from a
legit online pharmacy. For about
six weeks it didn’t seem to work. 1
kept taking pictures of it with my
phone to see if it was making any
difference.

“Then after about two and a half
months I started feeling more of
a downy growth, and after eight
months it looked almost back to
the way it was. It’s a commitment
having to save up for the tablets,
order them and remember to take
them. But they give me more self-
confidence so they’re worth it.”

“We’re all going to be affected by
our personal appearance,” adds
Matthew Hodson, of GMFA. “How
much we choose to be defined by
the way we look though is up to the
individual. But if you’ve got a look
that people are going to go crazy
in lust after, well you might as well
take advantage of it.” ■

fuehairclinics.co.uk, gmfa.org.uk

o

D

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62 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

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>■ •

WORDS EDWARD DYSON

Why exactly do we get tattoos?
According to the experts, gay men
are particularly drawn to body art
for a number of surprising reasons.
But with an increasing number of
us looking into expensive, painful
and often dangerous removal
procedures, is it time we stopped to
think before we ink?

Life long commitments can be

hard, painful and filled with regret

- and we’re not even talking about
marrying our potential husbands.
No, we’re talking about that other
life-long commitment. We’re talking
about tattoos.

But in a day and age when deciding
which phone contract to sign with
involves an eternity of um-ing and
ah-ing, why is permanently inking
our skin becoming something of an
afterthought?

The word ‘tattoo’ is consistently
one of the most searched words on
the web around the world. So much
so, Google has stopped including it
in their annual top ten. So it comes
as little surprise that every year the
percentage of people indulging in
body art gets significantly higher

- with a third of young people now
boasting at least one example of
permanent body art.

But not everyone is happy with the
results.

In fact, polls show that more than
a quarter of all people who gets
tattoos eventually end up regretting
them. And hating tribal tattoos from
yesteryear has practically become
an industry in itself, as people are
making big money from our even
bigger mistakes.

Even the NHS came under fire a
couple of years back, when it was
revealed a whopping £203,499
of tax payers money had been
wasted lasering off unwanted
tattoos in the UK since 2008. The
Taxpayers’ Alliance blasted the
reports, saying: “Body art is a

personal choice. If people have
second thoughts they should pay to
have it removed themselves.”

And these figures only account
for the free NHS removals, which
involve proving to a psychologist
the tattoo is causing you severe
distress. The number of people
having highly expensive private
removals, though difficult to
estimate, would certainly be even
more shocking.

And it seems us gays have taken to
tattooing more than most.

Yes, when it comes to painful body
art, gay culture was right there at
the beginning, and we’re still in the
thick of it now.

Just check the tat stats - or tatistics,
if you will. Harris’ telling study
found gay men were twice as likely
to get a tattoo than straight men.
Could it be that we just naturally
gravitate towards a man with big
arms looking to cause us some
discomfort for a few hours?

Tattoo expert Professor Craig
Jackson, head of psychology at
Birmingham City University, thinks
there’s more to it than that.

“There are many reasons gay
culture embraced and continues
to embrace tattoos,” he tells GT.

“For one thing it’s synonymous
with working out, and wanting to
enhance a toned physique - another
behaviour gay men have always
been linked to.

“But initially it was adopted widely
by gay culture before it became
mainstream. It was often a way of
showing you were in the same club.

gaytimes.co.uk

GT65

rThink before you ini

r^T

[ 01 ]

Will it affect my
employability?

If the tattoo
you’re wanting
will potentially be
visible to future
employers, take into
consideration your
career path.

Are you in an
industry where a
visible tattoo could
hold you back? Do
some research. You
might be surprised.

[ 02 ]

Avoid names

Johnny Depp
famously had
Winona Forever
changed to Wino
Forever, after
splitting up with
Winona Rider.

We know how fickle
even the most loving
relationship can be,
and breakups are
hard enough without
worrying about
souvenirs of the skin
afterwards.

[ 03 ]

Research the
removal

If you knew how
painful, expensive
and not always 1 00%

effective a tattoo
removal is, would
you still want it?
Look up the info on
which colours are
easiest to remove, it
may help you make
a future disaster
less... disastrous.
Not to mention the
cost. One session of
removal treatment
- which could be
the first of countless
sessions -can
cost anywhere up
to £300. The price
at the end of the
procedure of a
particularly large
tattoo could set you
back thousands.

[ 04 ]

Counsellors

Self-indulgent?
Perhaps, but that
doesn’t mean it’s not
worth looking into.
Professor Craig
says: “Why not speak
to a counsellor?
You have to live with
this forever, there’s
no harm in talking
it over.

“And if you looked
into where the
desire to get a tattoo
came from, it might
completely change
your perspective.” ■

and forming a sense of identity, in
a time before things were quite as
liberal as they are now.”

So according to the experts, it
started as somewhat of a permanent
sexual calling card. And Professor
Craig believes the sexual
connotations run deeper still, and
that master-of-friskiness Freud
would have plenty to say on it were
he around today.

“Freud would probably say
tattooing has sexual links with the
gay world,” says Jackson. “It’s very
dominating, being tattooed, and the
sexual roles can be mirrored in the
process. There’s a top, a bottom,
it’s very intimate and a lot of people
find the experience arousing.”

So it’s sexy. We get that. It’s in
the league of things that shouldn’t
be hot but are, along with smoking
and grey jogging bottoms. But he
also thinks there could be far more
depressing links between body
ink and us.

“It’s almost a form of self-harm in
some cases,” he says. “Self-harm
soaks up negative feelings - and
tattoos can too. It hurts, it leaves a
mark and causes feelings of pride
alongside a permanent commitment
to the day it happened.

“And self-harm is another
behaviour found more often in
the gay community, which can most
likely be attributed to feelings of
low self-esteem during an often
difficult coming out period.”

This reason, among others, is
why Professor Craig believes that
in extreme cases, the need to be
tattooed should be recognised as a
medical disorder.

“Sometimes 1 think it should be
treated as a compulsive disorder,
yes,” he says. “1 wouldn’t say
addiction, but it can definitely
become unhealthy and dangerous
when taken too far.”

Similarly one of the UK’s leading
tattoo artists, Louis Malloy - whose
clients include gay pin up and
all-round national treasure David
Beckham - is also well aware of a

darker side to tattoos.

The Manchester based tattooist
tells us: “It was really difficult
around 1984, when HIV came out
and everyone became terrified of
catching it.

“It’s hard to believe now, but many
places refused to tattoo gay men
because they were so sure it would
spread the disease. 1 was one of
the few people in Manchester who
didn’t discriminate. I’d grown up
around my mum’s friends who were
gay and 1 was more educated. To
me, people are people.”

But even Louis, who lives for body
art, admits many enter into it too
lightly these days.

“1 think there are many reasons
more people are getting tattoos
and often not thinking about it,” he
says. “For starters, reality shows
like London Ink publicised it. They
opened new doors for the industry.
And then with the explosion
of the internet, and things like
Instagram, it just made it so much
more accessible.

“Celebrities with tattoos started
getting much more coverage in
the media as well. And sure, the
popularity is better for business, but
people are getting them now without
thinking - ‘Do 1 really want it?”’

Louis, however, takes his role as a
tattoo artist seriously, as he believes
everyone should. He even tried to
convince his biggest client. Golden
Balls himself, not to get his famous
neck tattoo.

“I’d advise anyone neck, face
or hands - don’t do it,” he tells
us. “1 spent two years trying to
persuade David [Beckham] to
not get the one on his neck, but
eventually 1 gave in. 1 didn’t
want him to do it. 1 said, ‘You’ll
regret it.’ But he hasn’t had it
removed, so he’s obviously still
happy with it.

“But at the end of the day, it’s
different for him. He’s not going
to be lining up at the Jobcentre, is
he? So many people think that if
they don’t like it, oh well, they can

66 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[body]

Anthony

Tampin

from Dalston,
London, works
in finance for
American football
league NFL

He tells us: “I haven’t
regretted them at
all... Although the
one on my back now
is a bit ‘tramp stamp.’
It was a tribal tattoo
on my lower back
that I got about 15
years ago. But what
can I say? That was
what everyone was
getting at the time. I
wouldn’t get it done
now... But wouldn’t
say I regret it. My
current boyfriend
actually loves the
tribal one more than
my other one.

The other one is
on my shoulder.

It’s a Mexican day
of the dead skull,
surrounded by
butterflies and cherry
blossom.

My shoulder tattoo
was after a bad
period in my life - my
partner cheating,
my grandfather and
a friend dying of
cancer. It symbolises
the fragility of life
and a celebration
of death... Well, in
my head it does!

But for me they’re
permanent. And
even if I were to go
off them in the future,
which I doubt, they
symbolise periods of
my life, so I wouldn’t
have them removed.

I’ve specifically
had them in places
that I can easily
cover if I wanted to.

I would love to be
able to have them
on my forearms and
neck, but despite
working in media for
the last 20 years, I

don’t think it gives a
good impression for
someone in finance.
My colleagues at
work would probably
not know that I have
any. Well unless they
stalked my Facebook
pages!” ■

Brad Chalk

owns his own
tattoo parlour
Funky Tattooist,
tailored for
gay men, in
Bournemouth

He has 12 tattoos -
two are sleeves, he
has two behind each
ear and the rest are
randomly around his
body. He tells us:
“I’ve never regretted
any of my tattoos.
They’re all personal
to me and I love
them.

I think they might
have had an effect
on certain jobs
had I gone down a
different path, but I
was always fine in
the jobs I went for.

I used to work in
a nightclub and
obviously there was
no problem there,
and now I own my
own business that’s
also never going to
be an issue.
Nowadays I don’t
think too many
people judge you
for your tattoos in
daily life, because
so many people
have them now
it’s become more
normal.

Anyone I meet,
without a doubt asks
me about it though,
so I do end up doing
a lot of explaining.
But I don’t find it
boring because I’m
really passionate
about them. It’s what
I love.” ■

just get it removed. But they don’t
realise what that in itself entails.”

He advises: “First of all it isn’t
quick. It can take years. And
depending on the tattoo, some
colours can never be removed
and can also leave scars. I’ve had
it - it’s painful. A tattoo is like a
massage in comparison to the
removal of it.”

Louis also agrees with Prof Craig
that when things go wrong there
can be disastrous results.

“There are people who don’t
know when to stop,” he says.
“Addiction is the wrong word, but
1 would say compulsion.”

But what negative aftermath
can a visibly tattooed individual,
who isn’t Becks, face in the real
working world? Well, it’s bad
news if you’ve grown up with lofty
ambitions of working at Iceland
supermarket.

“A lot of people don’t realise the
doors that can be closed off for
them if they have clearly visible
tattoos,” Professor Craig says. “A
lot of companies have a no tattoo
policy. For example, Iceland don’t
hire staff that have visible tattoos
when clothed.

“And the police force in many
precincts are banned from having
them on show. Many don’t think
about these consequences, but

I’m sure in the coming years
we’ll see lots of legal cases
against employers citing tattoo
discrimination.”

Jackson himself even admits to
being prejudiced.

“We can’t help it,” he says.

“If 1 had six people before me
wanting a job, and one was
covered in tattoos, I’d probably
subconsciously find a reason not
to hire the tattooed applicant.

It’s unfair, but it’s human nature.
We expect certain things from
certain people.”

So are we blindly getting
permanently inked without
thinking of the obstacles it
could bring our way? No issue
is ever quite so black and white.
Let’s not forget, tattoos can be
responsible for some of the most
creative and beautiful art we
see around us on a day-to-day
basis. And there are many of us
out there who still cherish the
tattoo we got 30 years ago.

But just like deciding whether
the man you’re with is a life long
keeper - it’s not a decision to be
made on a whim. Because if we
were faced with a choice between
two painful prospects, divorce
or laser tattoo removal, we have
to admit - there wouldn’t be that
much in it. ■

68 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

••shytobuvuk

•'because you are •'not alone

© 0203 322 7075

Leaving his lavish life in Downton
Abbey to take on the crime-
fighting mantle of Daredevil in
Hell’s Kitchen, Charlie Cox tells
GT about buffing up, being better
than Ben Affleck and how he’s
ready for life as a gay pin-up

Getting in stunning shape to play

Daredevil has been a revelation for
Charlie Cox. The actor, who’d never
been to a gym and whose idea of
weight training was lifting a pint in
his home town of London, buffed up
for the Marvel TV series and now
he’s hooked.

“After doing it for eight months
I’ve grown to love it,” 32-year-old
Charlie tells us. “When you’re in
the habit of going to the gym you
feel great and I’ve gotten better
at it. I used to go T wouldn’t even
know how to sit on that thing or
which way to face,’ but I’ve now got
a sense of which machines do what,
which body part they work, and I’ve
got regimes if I just want to knock
out a full-body 45 minute workout.
There’s less anxiety about it now.”

Tucking into a Toblerone and
remarking, “I get to eat no fucking
Toblerone when I’m doing the show,”
Cox gives a smile that radiates
charm and perfect dental work and
adds: “Sol keep up exercise now
because I really enjoy it. Also, if we
DO do a second series, I don’t want
to have to start from scratch.”

Here’s hoping Daredevil - which
is on Netflix with all the high
production values you’d expect
from the channel that’s brought us
Orange is the New Black, Better Call
Saul and House of Cards - gets a
second series, because the first one
is brilliant. It stars Cox, who we’ve

WORDS SIMON BUTTON

had a soft spot for since he played
Tristan Thorn in Stardust, as Matt
Murdock aka Daredevil, a lawyer
by day who fights crime at night on
the dark and dingy streets of New
York’s Hell’s Kitchen.

He also takes his shirt off quite
often, a breathtaking sight that
the actor only had four weeks to
prepare for. “Which, when you’ve
never had a gym membership and
never done weight training, isn’t an
awful lot of time,” he grins. “Plus it
wasn’t about losing weight, it was
about gaining weight. I had to bulk
up and put ON muscle.”

Somewhere en route, Charlie
also lost all his chest hair. On sexy
display in Boardwalk Empire and
poking out of his shirt today, it’s
nowhere to be seen in Daredevil.
“When I had that topless scene in
Boardwalk Empire, some people
thought I was wearing a sweater,”
he says.

Superheroes tend to be smooth
shaven like Arrow and Thor, who
flaunt their six-packs at every
opportunity - both on screen and
in publicity shots. Charlie reckons:
“It’s like an advertisement for male
strength, isn’t it? It’s symbolic
of masculinity. The images
are so iconic and I don’t think
people associate body hair with
superheroes.”

Try telling that to bears and cubs,
but we see his point. And we agree

when he talks about the TV series
being completely different, and by
implication much better, than the
2003 Ben Affleck movie. “Because
we’re on Netflix we’ve been able to
come up with a more adult-themed
show with some quite gratuitous
violence. It’s a risk because you
don’t want to alienate the young kids,
because it’s Marvel, but at the same
time it suits the world of Daredevil.”

The actor knew nothing about the
superhero, who was created by Stan
Lee and Bill Everett in the 1960s.
Blinded by radioactivity as a kid, his
senses become heightened and he
gets into crime fighting to avenge
his father’s murder, disguising
himself in a blood red costume and
horned mask. Growing up, Charlie
Thomas Cox was into The Beano and
The Dandy, not the Marvel Universe.
“So it’s all completely new to me.

In fact, when I got the audition I
didn’t even know Daredevil was
blind. I was completely ignorant,
but in some ways it’s a blessing
because I was able to begin the job
with no preconceived ideas. It was
only after Comic-Con and images
were released and bloggers started
weighing in that I began to feel
the pressure. I’d become fond of
Daredevil and Matt Murdock, and
suddenly I realised how wide his
appeal was.”

The appeal extends, of course,
to gay comic book fans. “It’s

70 GT

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GT71

gaytimes.co.uk

[hero]

interesting,” Cox says when GT
tells him about Marvel’s gay
fanboys. “With a lot of comic
book heroes there’s an element
of secrecy. Not all of them are, for
example, like Captain America -
who wears a costume, but he’s not
in disguise, whereas a lot of them
wear a mask. There’s a sense of a
secret there. All of my gay friends
have described growing up with
what felt like a secret.”

A quick glance at Charlie’s
filmography - Downton Abbey, the
aforementioned Boardwalk Empire,
The Theory Of Everything - shows
the actor hasn’t done full-on action
before. He makes up for that with
Daredevil and, although he has
a stunt double to handle trickier
things like turning 900° in the
air, he says: “1 do as much as I’m
allowed to do.”

The iconic red suit is there in the
title sequence but not in the first few
episodes. For a while he’s a man
in black. “It’s like a running top,
like Under Armour, skin tight and
streamlined,” is how Cox describes
his initial costume - and he isn’t at
liberty to tell us when and how it’ll
switch to red.

“I’m not allowed to say,” he
sighs. “All 1 can say is that it’ll be
revealed in the first season.” So he’ll
eventually shift things up a gear from
Lycra to leather? “It’s not leather,” he
laughs, towing the party line about
not revealing any details. “What’s
really great is that, within the world
of the show, with the material used
to construct the superhero costume,
there’s a lot of discussion about it. It’s
a very cool storyline actually. Often
in the movies they don’t have time
for that because they have to fit so
much into two hours, whereas over 13
hours of television there’s more time
to explore all the elements to being a
superhero.”

We push for more details. “Well,
there’s a lot of discussion about
why Daredevil should have a
costume. What does it symbolize?
What does it look like? How

practical should it be? What is its
functionality? 1 find all the stuff that
surrounds the donning of the suit
fascinating and 1 hope the fans will
feel the same way.”

Our heads are spinning as to just
how Daredevil will fit into the Netflix
strand of the Marvel Universe, what
with Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and
Iron Fist getting their own shows
before they all come together as The
Defenders. Charlie insists he has
no idea how it’ll all pan out either,
or if indeed Daredevil will get a
second series. “They haven’t told
me anything. They reserve the right
to make that decision at any point,
but my great hope is that there’ll be
a second series.”

As for The Defenders, he reckons:
“It seems to me that there’s an
attempt to keep the characters
relatively autonomous, so you meet
them in their own worlds, then you
meet them together. When 1 was a
kid, when you thought about being a
superhero or having a superpower,
the exciting thing was the idea
of being able to do something no
one else could do. So it’s nice to
have a show where, although we
acknowledge the existence of other
characters. Daredevil is special.”

There’s that grin again. “But of
course, as the Marvel Universe is
famous for, there are Easter eggs
and things are all intertwined - and
hopefully the fans will relish that.”

In the first episode, for example,
there’s a scene that references the
fact Hell’s Kitchen is now ripe for
development because a bunch of
superheroes destroyed it in a big
fight - which obviously alludes to
the spectacular battle at the end of
the first Avengers movie.

For the record, if the man
playing Daredevil could have any
superpower it’d be the ability to fly.
He’s a bit embarrassed that it might
be the obvious choice, but he’s
hard-pressed to think of a better
one. “1 mean, invisibility would be
cool but the problem with that is the
mind goes immediately to lesser

instincts. You don’t think about
using it to help people, you imagine
being in places where you could see
things you shouldn’t.”

Like, perhaps, Scarlett Johansson
slipping in or out of her Black Widow
costume. That’s the Marvel character
Charlie would most like to see pop
up on Daredevil, alongside a certain
web-slinger. “1 read a lovely issue
of the comics where Matt Murdock is
assigned to represent Daredevil in
court, which of course is a physical
impossibility. Daredevil turns up.
Matt Murdock represents him and
you’re like ‘How the hell is this
happening?’ which dispels anyone’s
suspicions that they’re the same
person. It turns out Peter Parker put
the suit on as a favour, so it’d be cool
if Andrew Garfield popped up on the
show sometime.”

Unlikely, since Garfield has been
dropped from the franchise -
something that Charlie is genuinely
shocked to hear. “Really? 1 really
liked Andrew in that role. He’s
a fantastic actor, as is Tobey
Maguire.”

Likewise Mr Cox, who like Andrew
and Tobey before him has buffed
himself up for superhero-dom. Is he
braced for being a gay pin-up too?
He beams. “Why not? I’ll take being
a pin-up full-stop.”

And he’s no stranger to gay
roles, having done The Lover/

The Collection on stage - “Well,
technically the character was
bisexual, but 1 thought of him as
gay” - and snogging Rob James-
Collier in the first ever episode of
Downton Abbey, when his lusty
Duke of Crowborough got it on with
Rob’s frisky footman.

“The one line in everything I’ve
ever done that friends quote back to
me is when in that scene Rob says to
me, ‘1 thought you loved me,’ and 1
say, ‘1 do love you but one swallow
doesn’t make a summer.’” He bursts
out laughing. “They never let me
forget that one.” ■

Series one of Marvel’s Daredevil is on Netflix
from 10 April, ©daredevil

gaytimes.co.uk

GT73

IMAGES MIKE MASSARO

“Oh, I’maay.” there, that’s it. Since no one else has come
right out and asked hirn, that’s how Oily ^exander Mm
chart to^HQQs/ award-winning electropop band du jour
Years and Years describe s his sexuality. The cute 26-year-
old popstar, who happens to be gay, also happens to talk ^
about it exclusively fw the very first time with GT ^

iaytimes.co.uk

[music]

Let us briefly set the scene.

Oily is in a hotel room, while
Mikey from the band is getting his
haircut and Emre is in the shower.
And the elephant in the room that
we’re acknowledging is Oily’s
sexuality. “1 feel like it’s quite nice

- nice is maybe the wrong word

- but if people are interested, I’d
think it’s totally fine to ask that
question,” he tells us.

“I’ve never meant to hide away or
lie about that, but people appear
afraid to ask it sometimes. And
1 think if there were more of us
having a discussion about it, it’d be
less of a thing. 1 suppose it’s fine,
because you can let the music do
the talking, it’s more of an intimate
personal vibe whatever anyone
takes from the music, 1 guess...”

Well, here’s the thing. They
ended label mate Ellie Goulding’s
reign at number one with their last
single King and, like many of their
songs, there’s a lyrical fixation with
being used and abused. As the
chorus goes, “1 was a King under
your control, 1 wanna feel like
you’ve let me go.” Oily laughs at
our observation.

“Sadomasochistic. Yeah, 1
know what you mean. Most of
what I’ve been writing about
on this album has been about
a handful of relationships. The
way 1 externalised them through
lyrics, 1 felt like they were slightly
manipulative and 1 was always
falling for the wrong person.”

We’ve all been there. It’s
what makes Years and Years go
above and beyond the usual cute
electropop band. He goes on.

“1 got stuck in feeling this
chaotic narrative of being used,
which was the story 1 was trying to
get out in song writing. But 1 also
feel like maybe I’m drawn to the
hysteria of love. You know? That
kind of thing when something’s
bad for you but it feels really
good? That’s a juxtaposition
that I’ve always been interested
in - I’m not the only one! Lots of

people are the same. But I’ve
been really touched by how
people seem to resonate with the
lyrics.”

He goes on to cite one of his
biggest inspirations, Neil Tennant of
Pet Shop Boys and the whole Crying
at the Discoteque genre.

“1 think if you can have a dance
beat but a heartbreak lyric, that’s
going to stay with you forever.

Robyn is a great example. All the
big pop songs, all the great classics
are like that. I’m just licking the
boots of all those great people.”

And here’s where we get a bit
personal. As someone who came
of age in - let’s say the 90s - there
simply weren’t any visible, happy,
gay role models around. You had to
go to literature to find gay couples
- and most of those were wracked
with guilt, struggling through the
AIDS epidemic, or ended up killing
themselves. So it makes sense to us
that as an openly gay songwriter,
you might be drawn to what Oily
calls ‘chaotic narratives.’

“I’d probably agree with you in
terms of not having a lot of obviously
content role models in our culture
of gay men,” he says. “There’s
no difference in the actualities
of loving someone, obviously it’s
the same for everyone. 1 think it
maybe came from being a bit of
a lonely teenager, feeling like a
misfit at school and certain people
can identify with that. We have a
long way to go with role models as
well. It’d be nice to have a young,
happy gay couple in the media. 1
don’t really think there’s much of a
difference, we’re all hurting in the
same way.”

A second elephant just entered
the room. We ask Oily if he’s in a
relationship.

“1 am, yes.”

So, Oily. You could be that happy
gay couple in the media. . .

“1 could, couldn’t 1? 1 was just
saying that. 1 could have one, that
could be it. Yeah.”

He doesn’t offer any more, so we

GT75

leave it at that. It’s hard enough
being the new gay face of pop
without having to have a new
relationship splashed all over the
tabloids.

“I’m only one third of Years and
Years,” he continues, “I’m one gay
third, but the other two aren’t and...
I did think about if that sort of thing
would be a problem, but I actually
just don’t think it is. Because the
others, Mike and Emre, couldn’t
care less about what sexuality I
am, and I’ve enough faith in people
that they won’t give too much of
a shit either about what sexuality
everyone is. That’s just my attitude
and I feel like if I believe that, I can
materialise it, and it’ll be great,” he
chuckles in his charmingly shy but
assured manner.

Things have changed since our
day. Kids don’t buy into tribal
identities based around music or
sexuality in the same way. As Oily
points out, the Y&Y fan base listens
to Stromae, Arctic Monkeys, Kanye
and Marina and the Diamonds in
one playlist. Everything is more
fluid, as Oily has seen for himself.

“I was reading something about
one girl on Instagram saying she
was pansexual. She’s 16. 1 didn’t
even know what pansexual meant
when I was 16,1 had to look it
up. You’re attracted to everyone
regardless of gender identities, and
I was like, ‘Wow, you don’t even see
gender?!’ That’s amazing. I have
faith in the younger generation.”

As a band, they’re certainly
down with the kids. Since winning
the BBC Sound of 2015 they’ve
made friends with the majority of
the list and - along with the likes
of Sam Smith and Clean Bandit
- are leading the charge of a UK
pop renaissance. In their own
right. Years and Years have put
in the hours, self-funding videos
and releasing an entire album’s
worth of singles and tracks - their
genius cover of Blu Cantrell’s
Breathe is more than worth a spin.
With so much material out there.

what surprises can their debut
album Communion bring?

“I don’t think people will be
shocked, because the stuff that
they’ll have heard is very much
indicative of our sound. Having
said that, we get really bored
doing the same thing twice, so
I feel like on each track on the
album we’ve tried to reference
something new. And I think
we’ve done that with our singles
- Take Shelter is a bit dancehall/
bashment. Desire is more house.
King is a bit more synthpop,
maybe a bit 80s - and we like to
do that. Some tracks are more
RnB, some are a bit more Massive
Attack-y, ones a bit disco, some
songs are a bit more slow and
acoustic.”

Woah there nelly. A Years and
Years disco track?

“Erm, well, ha - that’s to be
decided yet. I don’t know if it’ll go
on the album or on the deluxe, I
don’t want to say unless it jinxes
it. . .” And suddenly we can’t wait
to get our mitts on their debut
Communion all over again. We
chew the cud about what a Years
and Years first album will be like,
and those lyrics come back up
again. His bandmates give him most
of the reigns for the whole thing.

“They let me do it all. Sometimes
they’ll be like, ‘Oooh, that’s a bit
too sentimental, a bit too soppy
that line,’ and I’ll change it. Unless
I really like it. There’s maybe one
song on the album that’s a slightly
more positive love song, because
I met someone and falling in love
I was all, ‘I want to write a love
song!’ It’s obviously still laced
with fear and desperation and
being crushed. I wrote this slightly
positive lyric and they were like,

‘Oh no, this is just not going to work
for us.’ But I kept it in anyway.”

Never mind Oily being loved up,
we’re more than a little smitten
with them. ■

Communion is released on 22 June,
yearsandyearsofficial.com, ©yearsandyears

76 GT

[music]

ADVERTORIAL/

It’s clear from just walking down the
street that prejudice and discrimination
are not an issue in Zurich. When you
hear about the numerous special events
held here, first and foremost the Zurich
Pride Festival, it becomes even more
apparent.

Various local associations and societies
actively work together and fight for
the rights of and equality for the LGBT
community. The city has the most
vibrant assortment of late-night bars and
clubs in Switzerland - countless parties
and establishments create a nightlife that
is more colorful than a rainbow.

Zurich’s nightlife offers the LGBT
community a broad and varied bouquet
of clubs and parties. Numerous party
promoters in various, changing locations
guarantee a lively ambiance. Particularly
popular are the events staged by the
largest gay party organiser, Angels.

They include the Kitsch Party, featuring
bizarre decorations, and the White
Party, where guests are required to wear
white. More out-of-the-ordinary is the
twice-yearly Gay Cruise on Lake Zurich,
complete with dinner and DJ.

The Zurich Pride Festival has
happened annually since 2009. The
three-day program features an opening
and closing party, bars and food stands
at the festival site, a series of concerts
and shows, various parties, conferences
on specific themes, and a parade
through the inner city. Up to 30,000
people take part in the festival every
year.

Since the year 2000, the “Warmer Mai”
(Warm May), a cultural month, is held
annually, focusing on LGBT themes in
the fields of art and culture.

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WARMER MAI (WARM MAY)

5-31 May 2015
City of Zurich

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WHITE PARTY WEEKEND

8 -10 May 2015

Club Heaven, Club X-TRA, Alte Kaserne

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ZURICH PRIDE FESTIVAL

19-20 June 2015
Zurich City Center

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STREET PARADE (TECHNO FESTIVAL)

29 August 2015
Zurich Lakeside

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GAY-SCHIFF (GAY BOAT)

13 June & 5 September 2015
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1

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1 w

II f.

[style]

WARM BODIES

It might sound tacky, but bodies

come in all shapes and sizes. It
can be hard to find the right pair of
anything if you’re not happy with the
state of your own body. While some
might look amazing in a set of pants
- see this issue’s style model, Game
of Thrones star Reece Noi - others
might still be a work in progress.
And that’s OK. The best attribute
to any man is self-determination,
according to our feature designer
duo Bodybound, and we happen to
agree. Spring has sprung so soon
that pale skin will be back on show,
so step up or start the work out
routine. You don’t have to have the
perfect body, just be happy with the
skin you’re in. Oprah moment over,
now enjoy some hot boys in next to
nothing as you chow down on that
second bag of crisps. ■

PHOTOGRAPHY EDDIE BLAGBROUGH
GROOMING EVAN HUANG
UNDERWEAR BY BARCODE BERLIN

[84]

Watch the
Throne

Reece Noi
takes a break
from Westeros
to pose in not-
a-lot-of clothes
for our style
shoot. ■

[92]

Manscaping

From Gillette’s
latest technology
to Ben Cohen’s
new range -
the grooming
essentials
you can’t live
without. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT79

Body double We chat to the design duo from London-based
menswear brand Bodybound. Find out what the boys really
think about clothes, fashion and the perfect body...

Tell us about Bodybound?

We’re obsessed by the future and
technology, and take much of our
inspiration from cinema.

We try to use mechanical processes
and technical innovation to
interrogate the masculine aesthetic.
Bodybound is a futuristic offering of
modern luxury menswear.

Working in fashion, do you
feel under pressure to always
look your best? It’s not that
we aren’t aware of pressures
to look a certain way, it’s that
we’re more interested in the
quality and appearance of our
work. That’s what we channel all
our energies into, all our blood
sweat and tears. In everything
that we do, when we design,
style our looks, dress ourselves,
we try to communicate
something about our beliefs,
what Bodybound stands for.

We put a lot of pressure on
ourselves to make Bodybound the
best vehicle to portray our vision
of modernity.

What brands do you wear other
than your own? We make a lot
of our own clothes, sometimes as
Bodybound, and sometimes just
for ourselves.

Often it’s the lot of designers
to create beautiful and very
expensive garments and never
afford to wear them.

We like Alexander McQueen,
we appreciate skilled tailoring,
and also the masculine volumes
of Juun J.

On the other hand, we also love
our Nike trainers - what we wear is
quite diverse.

Describe your personal style?

Sporty futurism.

One essential thing every man
should own regardless of his size?
Self-determination.

Best kept styling secret that you
use in your own life? Buy quality.
Who has the ideal Bodybound
body? Chappie. ■

bodybound.net,

instagram.com/bodyboundstudio

80 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

BODYBOUND

give us their picks for
spring/summer in
Mack, white and red

gaytimes.co.uk

GT81

• • •

DOUBLE

TROUBLE

Jeans are a pretty safe bet regardless

of shape - just ditch the dad jeans
now. Double denim has always been
a somewhat delicate issue, but when
done right it has that so bad it’s good
affect. Mix your washes, cuff your hems
and throw in the careless young rebel
attitude for full affect. M&S have had
an extreme makeover across 70 denim
departments in the UK, with ‘less is
more’ making jean shopping easier
than ever. New lines introduced in a
range of styles, washes and cuts also
welcome some fabric innovations with
Tough Max Lycra, for the rough and
tumble, StayNEW for the forever fresh
look. Super Soft proving jeans can also
feel luxurious and Stormwear to help
with those inevitably less than sunny
spring days. ■

marksandspencer.com

BLUE HARBOUR SHIRT, £39.50

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82 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[style]

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you don’t want to look like
a floral explosion, try just a
dash of bright and bold with
these Polo by Ralph Lauren
Hawaiian print skate shoes.

A perfect shoe suits anybody
anytime, so why not make
yours a floral paradise? ■

Polo by Ralph Lauren, from £75, schuh.co.uk

gaytimes.co.uk

GT83

PHOTOGRAPHY EDDIE BLAGBROUGH
WORDS CHRIS MANDLE
STYLIST STEPHEN CONWAY
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USING MAC + BUMBLE & BUMBLE
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We pluckedReece from the side
of Daenerys Targaryen, dressed
him in some fancy ciobber and
snapped away. And why?
Because summer is coming...

gaytimes.co.uk

[style]

gaytimes.co.uk

GT85

t this time of year - as it has been

for the past five years - telling
anyone you don’t watch Game of
Thrones is tantamount to swearing
fealty to UKIP. It’ll draw gasps.
There’ll be outcries. But all that
outrage is justified; the HBO show
has steamrolled into the biggest
thing on telly. And it’s only getting
bigger and bigger each year,
feasting on its own success like a
perpetually hungry dragon.

Someone who knows this all
too well is 2 6 -year-old Reece
Noi, a relative newcomer to the
ancient world of direwolves,
warring and half-dead ice men.
Reece joined the show last year
in a small appearance as a slave
freed by hot-headed (wo)man of
the common people Daenerys
Targaryen [Emilia Clarke], but this
year, he’s been brought back. It’s
a pretty big deal, given the show
thrives on having characters killed
in the most grizzly ways possible,
but Reece is ecstatic.

“I’ll tell you how 1 knew it was
big,” he tells GT, between posing
in front of the camera for his shoot.
“I’ve been acting for 15 years, in
big shows.” He’s been on Grange
Hill and Waterloo Road to name
just two. “But never have 1 had
the response from people I’ve
had on Thrones. It’s a part that
is, honestly, pretty small in the
grand scale of things, but people

1 haven’t heard from in years are
telling me that they can’t believe
I’m on it. It’s mad.”

He admits he was “blink and
miss” in series four, but his
character - long-thought to be
named Keyr but, he tells us,
has been since given the name
Mossador - gets something of a
promotion. When GT got to watch
the world premiere of series five’s
first episode last month, Mossador
was seen in Daenerys’ inner
circle in the temple of Meereen,
advising her on the former slave
city’s tricky political matters. And
as a native of Meereen, Mossador
speaks almost exclusively in High
Valyrian, one of the show’s many
fictional languages.

“When 1 got my script 1 thought
1 was going to have a nervous
breakdown,” he admits, laughing.
“1 got it back and had this big
monologue. There was loads.
There’s a guy who writes [the
language] and then we have a
person on set, Jan, she helps
us learn it. It’s slowed down,
phonetically, to make it easier.”

To prove the teaching method
trumps anything Rosetta Stone
could accomplish, Reece reels off
an impressive - if indecipherable
- Valyrian utterance that sounds
pretty epic, especially here, in a
basement in Soho.

“Emilia [Clarke] came up to
me once and said, ‘Are you
actually Valyrian?’ 1 think she was
impressed!”

On set, Reece is modelling floral
prints, bright flashes of colour
and the sort of vibrant clothes that
could brighten up any gale-force
Wednesday afternoon. In keeping
with the theme, he also spends a lot
of time shirtless, but anyone who
has followed him on Twitter can
attest that this is no bad thing.

[style]

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GT87

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gaytimes.co.uk

“I’m quite comfortable doing that
sort of thing,” he says, smirking. “I
do yoga and I usually practice it in
next to nothing.”

He’s been doing it for three
years, and got addicted through
hot yoga classes. “But now I do it
myself. I’ll get up at Gam and do
at least an hour. It’s completely
changed my life, my focus, it’s
made me feel so calm. I sleep well.

I don’t drink anymore, either, and I
can safely say I don’t think I’ll ever
drink again.”

Seeing him in the flesh - no pun
intended - it’s hard to believe him
when he says he doesn’t go to the
gym; he’s got toned arms and a
really impressive body. “I went to
the gym for about two weeks when
I was 18. It just wasn’t for me. This is
all yoga and eating well.

“I basically bumped into an actress
friend of mine,” - Reece later tell us
it’s actual Maxine Peake, which is
amazing - “She looked so fresh-
faced and healthy, and she told me
she’d just been doing yoga. After
that I knew I had to get involved.”

The actor likes to keep details
about his private life just that, but
he’s happy to discuss everything
from his time on set to his famous
mates. “I was in Soho and ran into
Chloe Sevigny recently, I know her
from working on [transgender spy
drama] Hit and Miss, but I haven’t
seen her for ages. And she was just
like, ‘Oh my God, I’ve just seen
you in Game of Thrones!’ I couldn’t
believe she’d noticed me

“And I’m close to the Thrones lot.
Obviously you only see the people
you spend time with on set, so in
Croatia I hung out a lot with Nathalie
[Emmanuel, who plays former slave
Missandei] and Jacob [Anderson,
who plays eunuch super soldier
Grey Worm]. We’d go for dinner,
go to the beach, sometimes head
to the ocean. It was just round the
corner from the hotel. Croatia’s a
beautiful place. I felt bad for the cast
members filming in the freezing
cold somewhere north!”

While the dust is only just kicking
up again with the new series of
GoT, Reece is already busy on
new projects. He features in Away,
an intense, intelligent film set in
Blackpool starring Timothy Spall
and Juno Templeton. “She runs away
from a violent boyfriend, she meets
him, and they go on a little journey.
My character’s... I almost said
unsavoury, but no. He’s just lost.”

After that is a film Reece describes
as Sweeney Todd, but set in a kebab
shop. “This guy goes around killing
people and using their flesh in his
kebabs. It’s another psychopath
film! I rarely play someone nice and
friendly. I read this and loved it,
there’s a weird macabre humour to
it, and it’s a beautiful story.”

He cackles as he utters that last bit,
fully aware of how it sounds. After
the shoot, which was all vibrant and
colourful, Reece has opted to stick
to the basics. Skinny jeans, a big
parka, a woolly hat.

“I like to stick to what I know, but
sometimes I look like an art student
or something,” he admits. “It’s easy
to stick to what you know.”

Can he reveal if his Game of
Thrones character will make it
through the season? Of course
he bloody can’t, although it’s not
through lack of trying on our part.

“I’d love to come back, who
knows,” he teases. “But as an actor,
you’re constantly trying to shed one
thing and move on, try new things,
develop. It’s win-win for me. But I’m
enjoying playing someone good.

My character’s a nice lad, he wants
the right thing.”

A good guy doing the right thing
doesn’t sound like a natural fit for
the morally twisted world of Game
of Thrones, but Reece certainly
knows how to stand out from the
crowd, even if it is by being one of
the most likeable guys on the telly.
Luckily, it’s not the last you’ll be
seeing of him. ■

Game of Thrones series five airs on Mondays,
Sky Atlantic, from 13 April, ©gameofthrones,
©reecenoi

[ 05 / 15 ]

RugB^Taancing, underwear,
anti-bullying... And now grooming
Hairy, beary icon Ben Cohen
has launched his own range
of grooming tools that are
. almost as sleek and sexy as
\ the man himself... ■

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and

Grooming on the go

Sister brand of L’Occitane, Le
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combined their most-loved
products - including cologne,
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92 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

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The latest razor from
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Gillette Fusion ProGlide,
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gaytimes.co.uk

GT93

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imment]

THAT BASIC
BLACK

Did you know that The Rocky
Horror Picture Show does
indeed have a sequel? Well
you should, because Shock
Treatment is not only the
continuation of the lives of Brad
(asshole) and Janet (slut) - it’s
an incredible piece of work
that was years ahead of its time.
And now it’s finally a stage
show, as it comes to London
for its world premiere. Back in
1981 Richard O’Brien foresaw
our obsession with reality
shows and becoming celebrity
- all set to a soundtrack that,
dare we say it, eclipses its
predecessor... ■

Shock Treatment is at The King’s
Head Theatre, London, from 17 April,
kingsheadtheatre.com

[ 97 ]

Rae of Light

“There’s no
rule against
who you fall
in love with.”
GT meets
pop singer
du jour Rae
Morris. ■

[ 98 ]

Since she’s
been gone...

Kelly Clarkson
takes us
through her
cracking new
album Piece
by Piece, piece
by piece. ■

[ 104 ]

Mama, we
iove you

Gypsy hits the
West End for
the first time
in 40 years -
with Imelda
Staunton, no
less! ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT95

Citizens!

New indie boy band on the block Citizens!
are one of those acts that sound like so
nnany other people, that eventually we’ll just
have to accept that they sound exactly like
themselves. If we were leaning over an X
Factor judging table, we’d tell them in our
best Louis Walsh accent, “You’re like a young
ELO!” Before going all Natalia Kills on them.
Yet, for all the throwbacks, European Soul
sounds fresh and modern. The majority of
songs are about wooing girls in public spaces
and have a Wham-like waft of tropicana funk,
sounding like something that’s not a million
miles away from Chromeo. The vocals are
often in an alluringly androgynous falsetto,
held up by kitsch backing vocals, edging into
the realms of Glass Candy and Metronomy.
There’s all number of soft electronics dropped
in and we’re pretty sure there’s a lavish,
porny 70s style keytar solo on more than one
occasion. It’s joyously upbeat and there are
times - on All I Want Is You, for instance -
where you could be listening to Mika. Citizens!
are the best vintage pop band we’ve heard in
ages. And one of them has a moustache - so
there’s some hope there, right? ■ ■ ■ hQ

Lucy Spraggan
We Are... Leaving
behind some of
the early ‘bitt-ah’
Kate Nash banter,
Lucy Spraggan’s
acoustic open
mic night guitar
anthems have gone
up a level. The lead
single Unsinkable
and subsequent
album has its
sight set firmly
on the Coldplay
demographic, laced
with piano and
lighters aloft sing-a-
longs. ■■■■■

Madeon Adventure

An almost faultless
debut of 8-bit
influenced electro
funk that takes on
the basslines of
Justice, the more
listenable melodies
of Crystal Castles

and the grinning
radio friendliness
of Owl City. Over
the top of all this
are vocals with
more soul than one
hundred boybands
melted down into
one man. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Mew +/- Mew
have this canny
trick of writing
songs packed with
roller coaster fake
choruses, minor
twists, nosedives
into post-punk
drumming and
dense layers of
threadbare synths
and acoustic guitars.
These prop up
Mew’s uniquely
angelic vocal
harmonies. They’re
their own amazing
subcategory of indie.

Zhala Zhala The freshest signing
to the Robyn-run record label
Konichiwa, Zhala’s debut album
is a melting pot of Grimes-esque
hallucinogenic electro, peppered with
surprising influences and reference
points. Tracks like last single Holy
Bubbles have a Neneh Cherry flavour
to them, and Aerobic Lambada
borrows heavily from Blondie’s
Rapture in terms of vocal delivery.
She fits in perfectly with the Swedish
pop landscape - Jenny Wilson
springs to mind on I’m In Love - by
nailing imperfect pop structures.

In short, Zhala has revived the
electronic and ambient mix of Kylie’s
Impossible Princess era. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Chungking Defender Brighton-bred
Chungking’s 2007 album Stay Up
Forever took quite a hammering in
one quiet corner of the GT office way
back when. With a hand from Richard
X, they produced a sadly overlooked
pop classic - but we will not forget.
Years later and we’re offered up a
less poppy album of equally easy to
miss classics. They basically draw
on the later career stylings of ABBA,
bleeding into Moroder-inspired electro,
spitting out the bubblegum elements
of electro pop and replacing them with
classier disco ones. Sprinkle in a few
Kate Bush references for the breathy
delivery and you’ve got a seductive
package. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

96 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[music]

R ae Morris is one of
the most humble
women in pop right
now. “It might sound
really disingenuous but to release
an album in itself was something
that was beyond my biggest
expectations,” she tells us. “And
then for it to be received so well
was also a huge thing, so I’m
really grateful.”

Her debut album Unguarded is
an unbroken string of alterno-pop
hits. We gave it four stars on it’s
release and would’ve gone the
full 4.5 if we could cut stars in half.
It took the Blackpool-born lass
more than three years to make and
finally give birth to.

“I feel like a mum who’s let their
kid go out into the world.”

And what a well behaved kid it is,
proudly creeping into the top ten in
its first week. Rae initially went into
songwriting with nothing but her
piano, but she’s cross-pollinated
all of this with collaborations
with Fryars and dabbling into
electronics, much like her
appearance on Clean Bandit’s
debut - another prime example
of classical string arrangements
mixed into cutting edge pop.

Her last single Love Again is
possibly her most upbeat song on
an album that enjoys writhing in
the throes and woes of romantic
entanglement.

“When I first started writing it
was very easy to use songwriting
as a tool to get out my emotions as a
diary really,” Rae explains. “I find
it very easy to write about deeply
personal emotions - and they’re
always usually quite dark. But I
think by the end of the recording
process I realised I was really
happy and having this incredible
time, and Love Again was a really
happy time in my life.”

It shows in the way Rae laughs,
and the way she’s so calm and
open to discuss anything. She
spoke about her relationship with
a woman to The Independent and

we love that she doesn’t feel
the need to buy into a specific
sexual identity. A bit rich for a gay
magazine, possibly, but life would
certainly be easier for everyone
if same-sex relationships weren’t
still an eyebrow raiser.

“I’m cautious because people can
define you for that and I think it’s
very important for young people to
know that it really doesn’t matter,
human beings are human beings,
and I want people to know that there
doesn’t have to be a boundary,
there doesn’t have to be a rule
against who you can fall in love with
and who you can’t fall in love with.”

Exactly. We’ve spoken to new
acts who won’t talk about their
sexuality full stop, and it’s a little
sad in this day and age.

“If I met someone I wouldn’t care
if they were gay or not gay or male
or female. There’s no reason to
even really care about it. I just want

people to know me for my music,
and if they want to know about that
as well, then it’s totally fine.”

But people are always interested
- and it’s even inspired a few
hardcore Morris fans.

“I did have one experience with
a girl who came up to me after the
show and she said ‘Oh, I noticed
that you say “she” sometimes
in the lyrics.’ And in the earlier
songs there is that. She said, ‘Can
you just tell me? I feel strange,

I want to know more.’ I felt like
she really needed to know that it
was cool. I felt that was a really
important moment. And if there
was any way that what I went
through could help her with what
she’s going through, then that’s
all I’d ever want from my music.
That’s the point of music, isn’t it?”
We couldn’t agree more. ■

Rae Morris’ debut album Unguarded is out
now, raemorris.co.uk, ©raemorrismusic

gaytimes.co.uk

GT97

The original
American Idol
has been at it for
13 years, has 13
tattoos and has
now unleashed
her sixth studio
album Piece by
Piece. It’s an
eclectic, modem
pop masterpiece
- and gives GT the
perfect excuse to
get to grips with
the pieces of the
puzzle that make
up Kelly Clarkson
all over again

We’re in the presidential suite of

Kelly Clarkson’s UK record label
and she’s recycling a teabag to see
her through our lengthy chat about
her latest record. She’s had more
hits that she can keep track of - “I’ll
be sitting somewhere and a song
will come on and I’m like ‘That’s me,
stop singing!”’ - and her new album
is not short of bangers nor ballads.

Our personal favourite is Good
Goes The Bye, which sounds like all
the best bits of Taylor Swift’s 1989
in one track. Kelly understandably
says ‘1 love that song’ to practically
every track we bring up, but she
says of the last track, “It reminds
me of old school Eurythmics, a
little bit like Annie Lennox.” There
are some indie rock moments that
sounds like The Killers with Dance
With Me, which to her ears is “a
little bit like David Bowie meets
ABBA.” And then there are some
curve balls like Take You High,
which sound like no Clarkson song
we’ve ever heard before.

“1 love it because it sounds trippy.
That was the one song where 1 kept
going, ‘Uh-uh, 1 want weirder. 1

want trippy orchestral elements and
sampled voices doing dark weird
stuff.’ It feels like you’re flying. Or
falling. Either one.”

The other surprise track for us was
Someone, where Kelly sings she’s
“sorry I’m not sorry” for “saying all
those shitty things.” We find it quite
hard to imagine Kelly Clarkson
saying shitty things.

“Oh, 1 don’t find it hard,” she
laughs. “1 had fun. Sometimes
people send songs and it’s the
typical straight up Since U Been
Gone #4, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God
this is going to be terrible.’ And so
1 listened to [Someone] laying in
bed with my husband. We were so
quiet and both looked at eachother
and 1 was like, ‘This is the most
poetic thing ever.’ It’s so pretty and
dark and truthful and everyone
feels that.” There’s, to wheel out
a much used phrase, something
for everyone on this album. And
of course, no modern pop album
is complete these days without
a Sia co-writing credit. Piece By
Piece has two, including the single
Invincible.

“1 think the thing that’s similar
about her and myself as writers is
we’re both about empowerment -
and that’s what 1 loved about that
song.” She was sent the song that
was written by her producer Jesse
Shatkin and Sia just as her own
album was about to be finished.

“1 called him right back and was
like, ‘You’re an asshole!’ ‘Cos this is
really good and this means you’re
gonna have to come into town and
record it. 1 was recovering from
surgery,” after her pregnancy,
which she’s talked at length about in
other interviews - and so we gave it
a wide berth.

“So that’s why 1 was like, ‘Arrgh!’
But anyway, it was great. It sounds
like Stronger on steroids. That’s
my take.”

Despite calling her album Piece
by Piece, it’s got nothing to do with
jigsaw puzzles - though the deluxe
box set comes with something

resembling one. We still end up
chatting about our secret pastime.

“You know what 1 love? 1 love a
mindless arts and crafts project. 1
just love sitting down, putting some
music on, drinking a glass of wine.
I’m a puzzle girl as well.”

Clarkson even has a jigsaw tattoo
she had done in Amsterdam.

“How it is on me is, it’s like you’ve
removed the top layer of me and
you can see inside,” she says, “so
inside the puzzle piece is this little
tornado with a golden brick road
and a hot air balloon, a kind of
Wizard of Oz theme.”

It’s one of the many times we’ve
ended up saying ‘amazing’ to
Kelly Clarkson.

“It’s like you peek inside. It’s a
very dark tattoo actually, it was a
childhood thing 1 loved but also it
worked for my life at the time. 1 feel
like when 1 got this tattoo, 1 don’t
even know how many years ago, 1
felt no matter how hard 1 clicked 1
just couldn’t find a home. And by
home, 1 just mean I’ve always longed
for a family. A solid family foundation
and 1 just hadn’t had that.

“Well, 1 guess if you get tattoos
they just come true! ‘Cos 1 got one,

1 got three kids and a husband.

So apparently 1 have a genie
somewhere.”

Even if Kelly can’t help us click
our own heels - “Where do you find
great men?! 1 stayed really close to
home, he’s my manager’s son.” - she
did bring the house down the other
month with an intimate gig in a gay
bar in London. “Most amazing time
ever,” is how she put it.

“1 mean, it was the perfect thing. 1
love the intimacy factor of anything
like that.”

The first single off her latest
album. Heartbeat Song, hadn’t even
come out at that point.

“It was so weird, everybody
knew the words. 1 was on stage
shocked and 1 kept thinking, ‘Am
1 hearing the feedback bouncing
back?’ And then 1 was watching
everyone’s mouths move and it

[music]

was just the most remarkable
thing. To have that many people
crammed in and having such an
awesome time, singing every
word. And it was so hot it was like
a sauna, but it was great.”

Of course, the video for that
song features a few of our own,
which Kelly discovered during
a radio interview in her adopted
hometown of the last eight years,
Nashville, Tennessee.

“He didn’t know that his
boyfriend was going to propose to
him. No one knew, so he was kinda
confused in the video because
he was going, Ts this real? Or for
the video?’ It was just the most
amazing thing to capture that live,
and them embracing and that kiss,
that was real.”

It is a bit of a statement to put that
in your video, we try to argue.

“It’s funny, we didn’t actually
mean to do it as a statement
because I think in the artistic
community we’re so far past
that. Equal rights is a no brainer.

It’s almost like we’re in some
bubble. All of a sudden I’ll be in
an interview and someone will say
like, ‘Oh, that’s quite statement,’
and I’ll be like, ‘Was it?!”’

We just think it’s great that
someone with such a platform as
Kelly Clarkson is happy to throw
a gay couple in her video without
a second thought and openly
acknowledge and embrace her gay
fans. Surely Beyonce has the memo
by now? Anyway, Kelly doesn’t
think she’s special for it, and that’s
great too.

“I think a lot of people are like,
‘Screw you! I’m gonna put this
in my video because this is life.
Accept it or go live on Mars.’ I’m
tired of talking about it. You know
what I’m saying? I’m tired of it even
being an issue, because it’s silly.
Everyone should have equal rights,
that’s it. Hello!”

Hello indeed. ■

Piece by Piece is out now, kellyclarkson.com,
@kelly_clarkson

GT99

[music]

[entertainment]

Twin Shadow is the nom de plume of
George Lewis Jr - a fringed leather jacket
fan and the new favourite poster-boy who’s
dominating our playlists. On the one hand,
he has this trendy and dramatic edge to his
work, but really he’s a pop boy at heart and
this secretly leaks out in unusual places
throughout his mesmerising third album
Eclipse. There are obvious tracks like
When The Lights Turn Out, which would
be a mega-credible Eurovision entry or
an incredible Rihanna song. Then there’s
Old Love, New Love which will sound
familiar to a few gamers - having appeared
in Grand Theft Auto V - and it’s one of
the album’s hands-in-the-air moments,
throwing down some house piano and an
oh-oh-oh sing-a-long boyband chorus. But
even in Locked and Loaded there’s some
stadium rocking U2 vibe, while Watch Me
Go could hold its own on a bleak version
of Robyn’s Body Talk. Twin Shadow is
entrancing in whatever musical stance he’s
taking and we reckon there’s not a pop
snob out there who won’t fall for Eclipse. ■

Twin Shadow’s album Eclipse is out 18 May, twinshadow.net ©twinshadow

100 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

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Sun 17 May Nottingham Royal Concert Hall

Tue 19 May Liverpool Philhannonic Hall

Wed 20 May Sheffield City Hall

Fri 22 May Manchester Bridgewater Hall

Sat 23 May Bournemouth BIC

Sun 24 May London Palladium

Tue 26 May Ipswich Regent

Wed 27 May York Barbican

Fri 29 May Blackpool Opera House

Sat 30 May Cardiff Motorpoint Arena

Sun 31 May Brighton Dome

Tue 02 June Edinburgh Playhouse

Thu 04 June Glasgow Clyde Auditorium

Sat 06 June Bimiingham Symphony Hall

Mon 08 June Gateshead Sage

Wed 10 June Leicester De Montfort Hall

Fri 12 June Cambridge Com Exchange

Sat 13 June Guildford G Live

Mon 15 June Oxford New Theatre

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Mama Rose is back to tread the boards in London.
This time, it’s Imeida’s turn to show why the Queen
of Gypsies isn’t a reguiar mom, she’s a cool mom...

Don’t go calling Imelda Staunton

a national treasure or she might give
you a withering Dolores Umbridge
look and punish you accordingly. “1
think it’s an overused term,” says
this most beloved of British thesps.
“You can say it about Alan Bennett
but you can’t say it about me.”

That’s that then, though GT begs to
differ. Imeida’s been in the business
for nearly four decades and she’s
brilliant in everything she does
- be it her Oscar-nominated turn
as loveable backstreet abortionist
Vera Drake in Mike Leigh’s film of
the same name, the aforementioned
Defence Against the Dark Arts
teacher in two Harry Potter films,
or that big belter Mama Rose in
Gypsy, an ovations-every-night
performance she’s brought to the
West End after a sell-out run in
Chichester last year.

This pushiest of showbiz mums -
for whom everything most certainly
doesn’t come up roses as she tries
desperately to make successes of
her two daughters, only to see the
second one succeed and force her
into the background - has been
played by everyone from Ethel
Merman to Patti LuPone via Angela
Lansbury and Tyne Daly.

Mama Rose is, of course, something
of a gay icon. Though if you ask
Imelda why that is, she’s amusingly
flummoxed. “1 don’t bloody know,”
says the 59-year-old actress. “Why
do you think it is? Come on!”

For all the obvious reasons: She’s
a strong, feisty character who takes
no nonsense from no man, never
lives life at half-measures and can
sure belt out a tune. “But it covers a
lot of bases with a lot of people,” is
Imeida’s take on the classic musical,
“whether you’re gay, a mother, a kid
who wants to go into the business.

It works on many levels. It isn’t just

‘Ooh, funny showbiz mum.’” She
laughs. “But 1 don’t care who comes
to see it. I’m just grateful when
anyone comes.”

After her brilliant turn as the
villainous pie-making Mrs Lovett
in Sweeney Todd a few years back,
if anyone can put bums on musical
theatre seats it’s Imelda Staunton.

It’s also in musical theatre that the
convent-schooled, RADA-trained
Londoner got her big break when,
after six years touring the country
in rep, she did Guys and Dolls at the
National Theatre.

She’s been doing amazing work on
stage and screen ever since, with
Vera Drake earning her numerous
awards - though not the elusive
Oscar - and Dolores Umbridge in
Harry Potter and the Order of the
Phoenix and the Deathly Hallows:
Part 1 being the role she most gets
recognised for. “Families see films
like that, so you’ve got three or four
people seeing them rather than just
one person seeing Vera Drake,” she
explains.

Just as she views Mama Rose as
so much more than “funny showbiz
mum”, she reckons there’s a lot more
to Dolores than her faux Chanel
suits. “That role was more serious
than even 1 thought it was,” she says
of the character she played to scarily
clipped perfection. “It wasn’t just
‘Ooh, silly funny lady in pink.’ She’s
a pretty dangerous woman but yes,
in fabulous outfits. She was pretty
horrible, but it was wonderful to
have that amount of power and that
amount of pink wool.”

Imelda jokes about terrorising her
young co-stars. “1 made their lives
a misery,” she laughs. “1 didn’t, of
course, and what a nice bunch of
kids they all were, with their feet on
the ground, working hard year in
and year out. All 1 did was swan in

and out again.”

Did she get to keep any of those
fabulous outfits? She squeals in
mock horror. “Did 1 keep them?

Are you out of your mind?” But
it’s not unknown for actors to take
home keepsakes from movie
sets, is it? “Yes, but not from
Harry Potter, baby. You don’t get
anything off that set.”

Imelda was considerably dowdier
in last year’s Pride, where she
played Hefina Headon - one of the
Welsh villagers pushing for the
alliance between miners and gay
and lesbian activists in a true story
she didn’t hesitate to help tell on
screen. “It’s a story that, my God,
we need now more than ever, about
people helping each other and about
tolerance. You couldn’t have gotten
two more opposite factions of society
who were prepared to stick their
necks out and help someone else.”

There’s a very funny scene in the
film where Headon and her gal
pals hit a gay club. Has Imelda ever
popped into one herself? “Years
ago, yes,” she says. “1 went to
Heaven. Marvellous! 1 haven’t been
to loads of gay clubs but they know
how to have a good time.”

The ballsy battle-axe of a
character, who sadly died just as
filming began, must have been
fun to play, but that’s not why the
actress signed on. “Having fun with
something isn’t high on my agenda.
Making it right and making it true
is top of my agenda. 1 wanted to
uphold her reputation, which was
enormous and she was held with
such huge affection.”

As indeed is Imelda. And
by none other than Stephen
Sondheim, Gypsy’s lyricist and
Sweeney Todd’s writer-composer,
who saw her in the latter and told
her she HAD to play Rose. “That

102 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

IMAGE JOHAN PERSSON

[music]

made me a bit anxious. I said ‘Do
I? Really?’ 1 was a bit frightened
but 1 thought, ‘He’s asked me so
what am 1 gonna do? Refuse? No.’”

It is, she admits, an exhausting
show to do. “You don’t have a
life,” she sighs. And the biggest
challenge? “All of it! Everything
is challenging and everything is
a nightmare. There’s no let up and
that’s why it’s so demanding, because
when you’re not singing you’re
barking at someone. There aren’t
many quiet moments or a point where
you go ‘This is easy.’ It’s full on.”

And how is it getting your tongue
around those tricky Sondheim
lyrics? “It’s so satisfying because
it’s so difficult, but it’s just speeches
to a different tune. He says himself
he likes actors to do his work. 1 can
always tell when a singer is listening
to his or her own voice and there’s
nothing more boring. You just have
to tell the story.”

but,
she’s not in
not like
look him in
work, and
and other
is enormous, so it’s
in his company.”
notoriously hands-on

will doubtless be there
on opening night and Staunton
intends to give the show her all
that night, and at each and every
performance. Leading her to joke
that once the run is over: “I’ll be
going into rehab, obviously. I’ll be
in traction. I’ll be a husk.”

Her usual post-show ritual is
home, a cuppa and bed, but won’t
she be tempted to pop into the
Savoy’s American Bar - which over
the years has hosted the likes of
Fred Astaire, Noel Coward, Audrey
Hepburn and Judy Garland - to soak
in some of that cocktail-drenched
history? Imelda laughs. “Not for
me, baby. Not unless they serve
chamomile tea.” ■

Gypsy is at the Savoy Theatre, London.
gypsythemusical.uk, ©gypsymusicalldn

gaytimes.co.uk

GT103

[the list]

This issue’s all about the body, so what finer
time to relive some of cinema’s maddest and

most jaw-dropping on-screen physical transformations...

[01] Christian Bale The Machinist Christian Bale is an attractive,
stocky and consistently imposing man. Which is why his decimated
transformation into an emaciated machinist - losing 621bs in the
process - shocked all the harder. ■

[02] Jake Gyllenhaal Nightcrawler Both you and our own libido
thought we’d be talking about Jake’s bench bulk-up for Prince of
Persia. But it’s his weight loss for Nightcrawler that helped shape one
of his best performances yet. And for the record, we still would. ■

[03] Matthew McConaughey Dallas Buyers Club Once the poster
boy for the rom-com action man six pack, McConaughey lost pounds
but won gongs aplenty for his turn as an AlDS-sufferer. ■

[04] Charlize Theron Monster It’s not like she gained or shed
hundreds of pounds, but Theron - and her makeup team - should
be commended for a physical transformation that proved she was
much, much more than a pretty face. ■

[05] Chris Pratt Guardians of the Gaiaxy Millions loved Pratt’s
chubby jokester in Parks and Recreation even before he went
full leading man on us, which is why his chiselled, ripped look in
Guardians was all the more bewildering/arousing. ■

whu wloVe cafJlfee cafeef cor/Jehach

Trusrus when we

say that even WE
were surprised by
how entertainingly
Keanu Reeves
resurrects his flailing
career with this
month’s John Wick.
Especially as, while
we love a good
comeback, so many
of them hinge on
Oscar-baiting super-

frowny-serious
turns. From Matthew
McConaughey
reinventing
himself from
walking six pack to
awards-bothering
drama-fiend, to
Ben Affleck’s
Gigli-banishing
resurgence as an
actor/director, the
surefire route to

critical acclaim is
taking on a weighty
topic or two. But it’s
turns like Reeves’
that we really
adore - actors who
think they have so
little left to lose
that they embrace
the ridiculous with
a self-knowing
abandon and
kickstart their

cinematic CV in a
‘fuck it’ way that’s
as much a win for
us as them. Robert
Downey Jr’s Iron
Man, Neil Patrick
Harris’ demonic
ecstasy fiend in
Harold and Kumar
and now Reeves’
ridiculous action
hero in John Wick..
We salute you. ■

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Netflix Fans of funny women, Tina
Fey and 30 Rock should definitely
tune into Netflix’s newest original
comedy, a broad and ridiculous
sitcom with a killer conceit - a woman
is reintroduced to the modern world
after spending 15 years underground
in a doomsday cult. Silliness ensues.
Not quite as clever as it hopes to
be, it’s still another ‘win’ on Netflix’s
increasingly quality line-up of original
programming. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

The Hobbit Trilogy Blu-ray The

SOOish page book that somehow
became a seven hour (plus!) movie
trilogy never managed to reach The
Lord of the Rings’ blend of compelling
characterisation and jaw-dropping
spectacle, but it’s undeniably fine
blockbuster movie-making and an
enjoyably bombastic fantasy epic
for those craving a return to Middle
Earth. The movies are all here but the
die-hards should wait for the bonus-
stuffed extended editions. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Cucumber/Banana DVD Russell
T Davies’ return to gay drama was
always going to come with a certain
level of fevered expectation. While
Cucumber and Banana never
matched the heights or had quite
the same impact of Queer as Folk, it
was never less than unpredictable.
Banana was arguably more enjoyable,
but as Cucumber progressed, it
cemented Davies’ knack for the art
of being able to grab you by the feels
despite, or because of, its frustratingly
flawed but never less than magnetic
characters. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Bloodline Netflix The creative brain
trust behind Damages reunite for a
compelling thriller revolving around
the Rayburn family and the high-wire
tensions threatening to destroy the
seeming idyll of their Florida Keys
life. With a gobsmackingly solid
cast and enough twists to punctuate
the slow-burn build, it’s a perfect
accompaniment to Netflix’s other
binge-worthy dramas. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

104 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[screen]

Lost

It’s a matter of cinematic, natural and
widespread sexual law that any movie involving
Ryan Gosling deserves at least your fleeting
attention. But what about a Ryan Gosling film
without any Gosling in it? Gosling’s directorial
debut is a head-scratcher for many reasons;
esoteric, wilfully obtuse and never less than
intriguing, it’s the definition of ‘cult’ - not
something you’d immediately expect from The
Notebook’s swoonsome dreamboat.

The plot, what there is of it, concerns itself
with the family of single mother Billy (Christina
Hendricks), her son Bones (lain De Caestecker)
and their attempts to escape from a life as
dilapidated as the city they live in, and the
numerous menacing personalities that swirl
around them - notably skinhead psycho Bully
(an entertainingly against-type Matt Smith) and
fetish club owner Dave (Ben Mendelsohn).

A dark, twisted and bonkers urban fairytale,
it’s full of disturbing imagery, an unsettling
undercurrent and homages to pretty much
every director Gosling’s a fan of - Cianfrance,
Lynch, Refn and more are all visible on-screen,
a comparison that’s both a blessing and curse
- Gosling’s own directorial identity is somewhat
submerged. As bold as it is mad. ■ ■ ■ □□

Hidden Away
(A Escondidas)
Cinema A heady
melange of heavy
themes - poverty,
racism, crime,
homophobia - are
given emotional
relief in this
affecting tale of
forbidden teenage
love, as an
illegal Moroccan
immigrant and
Spanish schoolboy
fall in love against
the odds. A strong
indie musical
through line lifts the
muted emotional
exchanges to
deliver an engaging
teenage romance.

Ciouds of Siis
Maria Cinema

Kristen Stewart
continues her
assault on the
art-house crowd
alongside indie

darling Juliette
Binoche in this
melancholy
meta-drama all
about an ageing
actress forced to
confront the next
generation and her
own insecurities.

A more sobering,
sane Maps to the
Stars with a star
turn by Stewart.

The Duff Cinema

What could be a
tasteless one note
gag - Duff stands
for Designated
Ugly Fat Friend
- is worth a
punt for fans of
warm, witty teen
flicks. With social
media prevalent
throughout and a
hot young cast of
new teen stars, this
is Pygmalion for the
21st century.

Insurgent Cinema While Divergent
was repeatedly called out as a
flimsy The Hunger Games knock-off,
Insurgent has the franchise finding its
action-packed, albeit maudlin feet in a
superior YA dystopian sci-fi adventure.
Tris (Shailene Woodley) and Four
(walking Action Man Theo James)
are on the run from the hilariously
unthreateningly-named Jeanine
(Kate Winslet, giving fine matriarch
bitch-face) and her crew of hunky
meatheads. While the plot is po-faced,
it boasts a fair few surprises, while
the action is surprisingly brutal and
the themes thought-provoking. Make
the most of it before the inevitable,
needlessly two-part finale slows
things to a crawl. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

John Wick Cinema Keanu
Reeves stars in this... wait! WAIT!
Come back! Or, rather, comeback.
Yep, after years spent languishing
in post-The Matrix naffness, John
Wick signals Reeves’ return to, if
not the big time, at least a level
of quality filmmaking we haven’t
seen from him in years. The titular
antihero is a man heartbroken by
the loss of his wife, but who finds
solace in the delivery of a puppy.
That is until Russian gangsters beat
him up and kill the dog, sparking a
hugely enjoyable, OTT vengeance
mission that’s as irreverent and
unashamed as it is fun. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT105

One-Way Ticket to Heaven

Magical Tunes presents a pre-release production
written & composed by Sami Hammi

1 5 Gordon Street, London, WC1 H OAH
Box Office: 020 31081000
Book tickets online: www.thebloomsbury.com
booking fees apply

W \

m \

u

WaV

aO.30P«:

Directed by Calvin E. Burke
Choreography: Sabine HaB-Zimmermann
Executive Producer: Markus Muller

MAGICAL. I

n

TU1VE8

www.magical-tunes.com

[reviews]

THE THINGS YOU
OWN END UP
OWNING YOU.

SO OWN THIS!

Cult figure and gay author

Chuck Palahniuk is writing
a sequel to his bestselling
hyper sexual, ultra-violent novel
Fight Club with comics publisher
Dark Horse, giving us all a chance
to find out what happens next.

This meditation on male
aggression and the meaning of
life was unforgettably brought
to the screen in David Fincher’s
movie of the same name -
starring Ed Norton’s fists and,
of course. Brad Pitt’s abs, just
pounding on each other - and
Jared Leto - in a hot mess of
loose teeth and a bit of blood
spilt in the boardroom. Also,
randomly, Meatloaf.

This is Fight Club 2, picking up
the story a decade after the end of
the novel, exploring the broken
connection between Sebastian, the
book’s unnamed narrator, and his
imaginary friend Tyler Durden.

Ten years following Project
Mayhem, Sebastian’s living a
mundane life, married to Marla
Singer and medicating to suppress
you-know-who. Together they have
this nice, normal suburban life, a
son and a white picket fence. But
TWIST! Marla has been secretly
cutting her husband’s meds so she
can cheat with Tyler!

The naked aggression of
Tyler Durden still lurks beneath
the surface and threatens to
overwhelm the steady life that
Sebastian has built. Does he
have the strength to cage him
again? Or could the decade of
marriage and parenthood have
Sebastian exhausted to the point
Tyler has become unstoppable?
Will Fight Club rise again? Our
money’s on yes, yes, yes.

Palahniuk is joined by artist
Cameron Stewart and our forecast
for this series is a sexy, fun,
grossly violent psychological romp
chocked with homoerotic themes,
space monkeys, support group
tourism, and subtext. So pick up
a copy - but whatever you do,
remember, DON’T talk about it.
That’s rule number one. ■

[geek]

[Gravely voice]
“I’m batman.

I’m fabulous”

Remember the days
that Bat’s fought
aliens, jumped
sharks and got
tied up a lot? No?
Before our time
too. These genius
rainbow vinyls
come right from the
50s when Batman
said, “I must wear
a different coloured
costume each
night!” ■

“I don’t want one
position, I want all
positions!”

Amazing costumes,
bloodthirsty
inhuman creatures
and an ancient evil
casting shade across
the entire galaxy!

The Fifth Element is
a martial arts Drag
Race in space at the
end of the universe.
The characters live
on as retro-format
figures everyone’s
going crazy for. ■

All hail Mohawk!

The most evil of
Gremlins is getting
a retro 8-bit make-
under from the
vault of classic NES
game Gremlins
2. Yes, that was a
thing. You know
the rules: Don’t
feed after midnight,
don’t get wet, don’t
talk about Fight
Club... Wait! Comes
with a machine
gun accessory. Of
course. ■

In every generation, there’s a vinyl one
What’s missing from your life? Hint; It’s not
a pair of stylish yet affordable boots. This
collection assembles the Scooby Gang
and some of Sunnydale’s misunderstood
monsters as you’ve never seen them.
Featuring the familiar faces of the Buffster
herself, mild-mannered watcher Giles and
witch-in-training Willow, as well as Big Bads
Angelas, Drusilla, Spike and The Master! We
love the blind boxed format, complete with
chase figures - clue; F-A-l-T-H - and the very
best thing? No Dawn! A brilliant addition to
the Doctor Who and Breaking Bad vinyl lines
- check ‘em out on Twitter and Instagram.
Come on Whedonites, do #WeLoveTITANS? ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT107

[apps]

Life Clock

Life Clock Really
helping the Apple
Watch zing into
life as an essential
new piece of tech,
this app COUNTS
DOWN THE DAYS
TO YOUR DEATH...
Extrapolating data
from your Health Kit,
this doesn’t quite
claim to be accurate,
but it does slap you
in the face with your
inactivity. Chirpy
existentialism! ■

The Noise App

Basically an app
designed for our
editor. The Noise
App lets you
record whatever is
preventing you from
getting to sleep so
you can forward it on
to your council. And
with more than 100
UK councils already
accepting reports,
those parties are
practically closing
themselves down. ■

Mortal Combat X

irtal Kombat series outraged Middle
England with the best of them from the 90s
onwards, with some parents deciding that
developers making games involving heads being
ripped out - spine and all - was the same as
telling them to buy them for their children. Well,
guess what, those children are now maladjusted
grown-ups with disposable incomes and the
Mortal Kombat series is back to finish taking their
souls. And the current generation of machines
can render that button mashing bloodletting
in even higher definition. All your favourite
characters are back, alongside a new roster of
very angry people with particular sets of skills.
Things look predictably gorgeous, in a deeply
violent kind of way, but time will tell if the hardcore ..
fight fans take to this new breed of beat ‘em up.-Q'

Out now across formats

Dark Souls 2; Scholar of the First

Sin From the twisted minds that
brought you Bloodborne and Dark
Souls comes, urm, Dark Souls 2, now
taking its bow on PS4 and Xbox One.
Also launching on last-gen platforms,
Scholar of the First Sin repackages the
original game alongside three pieces
of extra content, improved visuals, an
increase in online players and new
characters. Oh, and it’s still bastard
hard. ■

Out now across formats

The Order; 1886 The most stunning
looking game yet? Possibly. The
Order feels like a half-step towards
greatness, with an immersive story
about an alt-London beset, with
rebellion and werewolves, asking
players to spend as much time
pressing X to advance the story as it
does giving you a game to play. The
gunplay packs a proper punch when
it kicks in, without reinventing things.
But more actual game, please! ■

Out now on PS4

108 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[tech]

Apple Watch

Weighing in at
between £299 and
£13,500 depending
on how stupid you
are, the Apple
Watch should be
further turning
more and more of
us over to the dark
overlords in the sky
as the Ascension
moves forth. Or, it’ll
connect your wrist
to your apps and
your phone and
quietly take over the
world in a slightly
less aggressive
way. From £299,
apple.co.uk ■

TIME

The smartwatch is finally
here! Thith be told, it’s
been here for a while. But
just like there was the
MP3 player before there
was the iPod, the anival
of the Apple Watch marks
the advent of most people
paying attention - like
it or not. But, and weVe
said this before. Apples
are not the only fruit...

Samsung

Gears

For those who’d
rather eat an apple
than wear one,
Samsung is king.
The Gear S has a
curved sAMOLED
screen and packs
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
and 3G connectivity
- as well as a
roomy screen.

But, you know,

NOT APPLE, NOT
APPLE. Which is
just as annoying a
statement as IT’S
APPLE, by the way.
From around £300,
samsung.com ■

Moto 360

The Moto 360 took
the original route
of trying to make
a smartwatch
look like, well, a
watch. Powered by
Android Wear, this
slick looking little
thing nevertheless
suffers from
ropey battery life
by comparison
to some of its
neighbours, and
the relative infancy
of the operating
system. Still, wins
on design for
plenty of punters.
From £199,
motorola.com ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT109

IMAGE JOE MCCORMICK GROOMING EVAN HUANG USING MAC, SHU UEMERA AND MAKEUP STORE WORDS BENJAMIN BUTTERWORTH

I ■ J

V

s

I

N.

’A'

m

m:.

H I iJ’.

Jon Tebble

London, 20,
works for
an arts
organisation

My favourite body
part is my bum. I
like it so much. It’s
hairy. Some guys
like hairy bums. I like
my beard as well. If
I shave it, I look like
I’m 15-years-old, so
it’s necessary for me
to have one.

I’m going to have top
surgery and lower
surgery. But for now, [| |
I’m quite fine with my
breasts and genitalia.

I love the effect that
testosterone has had
on my body. I think
I’ve been really lucky.

I’d sleep with
Stephen Fry and
I’d go for someone
aged 60. I want to
marry a sugar daddy.

I like someone who
can take me out and
buy me nice things
- people should be
honest about that.

It’s not everything,
though.

I’d never go cruising
with the anatomy
I have, because I
wouldn’t feel safe.

There’s this idea in
the media right now,
sex by deception,
and I’m so scared of
that. I meet people
on the internet, and
through friends of
friends.

I’m a recovering
alcoholic... I’ve been
sober for a while.

The gay scene is
very alcohol and club
orientated, which
is why I feel even
more uncomfortable
going out in those
places. ■

BSHSli:

[ 112 ]

If the Price
is right...

Meet Nathan
- the 20-year-
old who’s
spent around
£50k to look
like his idol
Katie Price. ■

[ 120 ]

Hitting a
bum note

Martin’s
boyfriend won’t
have anal sex.
What should
he do? The
Guyliner offers
his advice. ■

[ 126 ]

A cautionary
taie

There’s such a
thing as hitting
the gym too
hard. Chris
Jones tells us
why less CAN
be more. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT111

At just 20 years old,
Nathan Thursfield has already
spent close to £50,000 on plastic
surgery - and all to look like his
idol, Katie Price. Despite Katie
herself trying to talk him out of
it, Nathan, a retail supervisor
from Stoke-on-Trent, has had two
nose jobs, botox and lips fillers -
and plans a bum lift, liposuction,
facelift and a tattoo. In his own
words, he tells GT why surgery,
and Katie, have changed his life

WORDS JOHN MARRS IMAGES ROBERT GERSHINSON

MY FIRST MEMORY OF KATIE

Price dates back about seven
years when I saw her on a TV
documentary. I thought she was
pretty cool. I quickly became
fascinated by her and wanted to
know everything about her. And
I loved that she couldn’t care less
what people thought of her.

I started going to all her signings,
I watched her TV programmes, I

read every book she wrote and
bought just about everything she’s
ever released - just for the sake
of buying it. Even if it’s a girl’s
perfume. I’ll buy it and then give it
to my mum or my sister.

While I love the way Katie
looks. I’ve always hated my own
appearance. I used to hang out with
a lot of girls at school and they all
thought I was dead good looking,
but I just didn’t like myself at all.
And my lack of confidence in my
looks is nothing to do with being
bullied or any childhood trauma.

I always felt that a man should
be masculine, but I feel like I’m
feminine. I even debated whether
I was really a woman trapped in a
man’s body and actually wanted a

sex change. But no. I’m not. And I
no longer think I was born wrong.
I’m happy being a big gay.

I hated my nose the most - it was
fat, manly and I wanted it to look
quite feminine, which it didn’t. So
18 months ago, I decided I wanted a
nose job - and who better to model
my new one on than Katie? I’ve met
Katie in real life many times, so I’ve
seen what her nose looks like in the
flesh - and it’s perfect! I thought,
‘I’m going to have that.’

When I told my family and
friends I was going to have plastic
surgery to have Katie’s nose,
everyone tried to talk me out of it.
They’d say, ‘No, you’ll look stupid,’
but I did it anyway.

It cost me £6,500 and I paid for it

112GT

gaytimes.co.uk

by taking out personal loans with
interest, so it came to about £9,000
in total. But 1 had a lot of problems
after the operation, like blood clots,

1 couldn’t breathe, it was painful,
it affected my voice and the whole
experience was just awful.

But once all the bandages came off
and the swelling went down, 1 was
disappointed with it. It just didn’t
look the same as Katie’s nose, it just
wasn’t as feminine and as straight as
hers, so in February this year, 1 paid
£5,500 for a second operation. Now
it looks pretty much the same as
hers. I’m not sure if I’m happy with
it yet, though. It’s still early days, so
if it doesn’t look just right. I’ll give
it a few more weeks then I’ll have a
third operation.

Some people have commented on it
and like it, but others are jealous and
say they can’t see a difference. 1 can’t
wait to show Katie what it looks like.

The first time 1 met Katie was
in 2007 at a calendar signing in

London. 1 queued for 11 hours and
by the time 1 reached the front, 1
didn’t actually say anything to her.

1 just looked at her, then 1 started
crying and walked off after she
signed it. 1 went on to meet her
loads of times at other signings.
Then after a couple of years, all
of a sudden 1 knew 1 had to talk to
her. And she’d seen me so many
times, she recognised me. She
remembered me because 1 was so
brown thanks to my fake tan and she
was so overwhelming that 1 couldn’t
believe it. 1 was telling everyone
Katie Price knows who 1 am. She
now even follows me on Twitter.

When 1 told her that 1 was having
surgery to get her nose, she thought
1 was mad and that 1 didn’t need it
doing, and that 1 was gorgeous as 1
was. But whatever she does, like her
eyebrows or teeth, 1 do the same. 1
don’t think I’m weird, 1 just think she
looks dead good.

1 had a semi permanent tattoo on

my eyebrows so they look like hers.

1 hated my original eyebrows, men’s
can get dead bushy. 1 know I’m
only 20, but for two years I’ve been
having botox every three months.

1 don’t want to ever have a wrinkle
on my face and, when I’m 40, 1 want
to look 20 years younger. I’m not
obsessed with botox but 1 just don’t
want to get old. Some people like to
age gracefully but not me.

People look at my lips rather than
my new nose. 1 get them injected
with filler every three months
because 1 have no top lip at all
without it. Even though Katie’s had
all her lip stuff taken out now. I’m
going to continue. She’s going for the
natural look but 1 prefer her with big
lips and big boobs.

The next thing I’m going to have
is a bottom lift, where they take fat
from around your body, like your
back and sides, and inject it into
your bum. It gives it a peachy shape,
like Katie’s. 1 don’t like my bum, 1
think it’s a bit saggy and a lift will
help it look better. 1 know 1 should
just go to the gym and sort it out with
exercise, but it’s quicker to just have
it done by a surgeon.

1 really need my teeth doing,
too. 1 hate my teeth - everyone
says they’re fine, but 1 want the
Hollywood smile, even if it means
filing down what 1 have to put
veneers in. Teeth whitening is crap
if your teeth don’t look perfect in the
first place. 1 know Katie went though
hell with her veneers, but it’s going
to be worth the pain for me.

I’m also going to have a tattoo like
Katie has of a garter belt around
my thigh. I’ve been to have one
measured up and it’ll take about
ten hours in the tattooist’s chair, but
1 can’t wait. 1 also want liposuction
and in a few years 1 want a facelift.

Some of my friends think I’m a bit
mad and a bit over the top doing
all this, and my boyfriend Michael
always tries to persuade me not to do
it, telling me 1 don’t need this work,
to be careful and that 1 might regret
it. So when 1 have stuff done, he

[life]

When I told
Katie Price I
was having
surgery to get
her nose, she
thought I was
mad. I don’t
think I’m weird
I just think
she looks
dead good

comes with me so that I don’t go over
the top. If I went on my own, then I’d
ask for more stuff to be injected into
my lips and I’d end up looking like a
duck. He also knows that if he ever
gave me an ultimatum of the surgery
or him. I’d pick the surgery.

I still look at photographs of myself
and I don’t think I’m good looking
at all. People have told me I can’t
see what they do and that maybe I
have body dysmorphia - and maybe
I have. I don’t like it when friends
say they think I’m good looking,
but then when I meet someone
who doesn’t say it, I think ‘Oh, why
haven’t they?’ It’d probably be
cheaper for me to go to therapy than
have all this work, but to be honest, I
like the fake look and it suits me.

I go to work and make my own
money so I can spend it how I want
to, and I reckon I’ve spent close
to £50,000 in the last five years on
plastic surgery and other work.

I even got cash back from my
mortgage then went on a massive
spending spree and blew the money
on having work done.

The gay scene has been dead
accepting of me; I’m normal to
them and having this work has
changed my life. Some GT readers
are probably thinking, ‘Oh my God
what a freak,’ but it’s made me a lot
more confident. I never used to go
out, then I start having my lips done
and fake tanning, and now I’ve had
my nose done, nothing can stop
me from living my life. Those who
criticise me on Twitter and online
don’t know me, so they can go fuck
themselves. I’m happy, so nothing
else matters! ■

©naththursfield

gaytimes.co.uk

GT115

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SECOND CHANCE:
LIFE AFTER 17
YEARS IN PRISON

[michael alig]

‘No, Julian,’!

sighed, deflated and
exasperated. ‘You
can’t strangle me.’

Weirdly enough, it wasn’t the
first, or even the second time
I’d been in a situation like this.
There seemed to be something
about me, a red-flashing signal
1 was giving off like a human
lighthouse, a five-foot-eight, 167
pound, 48-year-old beacon of
need, that attracted only the most
damaged, destructive boyfriends
and relationships. How else to
explain away the third time -
in less than a year - that 1 had
hooked up with a guy turned on
by the thought of being punched
in the face, kicked in the ribs
and being choked to the point of
unconsciousness?

You wouldn’t have known it to
look at them. Gerard was the
sweetest looking guy, with a soft
boyish face and wisp of fuzz over
his always grinning, luscious
upper lip.

‘Hit me,’ he said within 15 minutes
of meeting me on the uptown train,
doing that cruising thing when you
look, and he looks back, and you

look again.

1 should probably say here that
as far as 1 know, Gerard had no
idea who 1 was or what I’d done.
Despite reports in the media of
people seeking me out in order to
celebrate, or who are ‘turned on’
by my crime, to my knowledge
this has never happened. Gerard
simply enjoyed being punched in
the face.

On the other hand, when he
wasn’t, you know, begging to be
kicked in the guts, Gerard was the
softest, most cuddly little teddy
bear. 1 invited him over for pizza
and movie night. We sat on the
sofa watching Pink Flamingos,
arms and legs draped over one
another, scratching each others’
neck and back.

‘It’s obviously a self-esteem
issue,’ 1 said when my therapist
asked why 1 think that 1 attract
these kinds of guys. ‘1 seek out only
the most damaged and needy.’

I’ll say! Julian, the one who
wanted to strangle me, ended up
being sort of my boyfriend for a
few months. And 1 say ‘sort of,’
because Julian, 1 learned later
on, already had a boyfriend. An

Iwantvou

locum

on my

boyfiiencr^

pilow,’

Jidian

said one

afternoon

after

insisting

we have

sex on his

boyfnencf^

bed It was

another

flashing

warning

sign

@alig_aligula

older gentleman who apparently
supported Julian, because
Julian didn’t have a job, he was
available all day, everyday, no
matter when. I’d go over to his
apartment, early in the morning,
after his boyfriend would go
to work. There were obviously
issues between the two of them,
who slept in separate rooms.

‘1 want you to cum on my
boyfriend’s pillow,’ Julian said
one afternoon after insisting we
have sex on his boyfriend’s bed.

It was another flashing warning
sign. 1 saw something sinister and
vindictive in Julian that day.

And yet, 1 didn’t breakup with him.

1 have a history of not letting
go of relationships, both good
and bad. It’s all part of the addict
mentality of not wanting to let go
of anything, even if it’s seriously
wrong or potentially damaging in
some way.

All my friends noticed what was
going on.

‘You need to get rid of that guy,’
my roommate, Ernie, said to me
one morning at breakfast after
overhearing a phone call from
Julian letting me know that the
coast would soon be clear.

‘He’s in the shower,’ Julian said
conspiratorially, almost laughing.
‘He’ll be gone in ten minutes.’

The words shocked the hell out
of me the second they exited my
mouth.

‘I’m not what you’re looking for,’

1 said to Julian, literally shaking.

‘1 think we need to stop seeing
each other.’

It was the first time in my life
I’d ended a relationship with
a guy 1 was attracted to, had
deep feelings for, but knew was
dishonest and unhealthy. The
first time 1 realised 1 could be
happy on my own, without having
someone else in my life. A simple
concept, really, for most people.

But for me, it was a
breakthrough. Yet
another milestone. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT117

What Max says about his hair transplant?

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mut//n oSs [benjamin oohen]

The PinkNews

Debate, held just
before Parliament
was dissolved for the General
Election, was unlike any LGBT
election debate I’ve ever been to
before. With the exception of the
host and, rather bizarrely, the UKIP
representative Peter Whittle, all of
the panelists were straight.

When we picked our panel,
which also included the Shadow
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper,
the Conservative Cabinet minister
and Leader of the House of Lords
Baroness Tina Stowell, the Lib
Dem Chief Whip Don Foster and
the Green Party leader Natalie
Bennett, we wanted to demonstrate
that LGBT issues are relevant to a
wide cross section of politicians
and the electorate. We also wanted
to clearly state that LGBT voters
will decide which party to back
on a range of issues from the
economy to gay rights. It was also
to demonstrate something else -
the importance of allies.

At the debate, the panel were
addressed via a Google Hangout
by a brilliant straight ally. Virgin
founder Sir Richard Branson. Back

when homosexuality became
legal and long before the founding
of charities like Stonewall, Sir
Richard launched the Student
Advisory Centre, which helped
many young people in the process
of coming out. Now, he’s calling
on politicians to ensure that sex
and relationship education begins
in an early age in ALL schools, in
order to tackle what he described
as the ‘menace’ of homophobic and
transphobic bullying. His question
prompted Yvette Cooper to launch
into a passionate attack at the
Coalition for dragging its feet at
making these lessons compulsory
in primary schools.

Yvette has been a long-term
friend and ally of the LGBT
community, but the reason that
she cares so much about this issue
is that she’s a mum. She and her
husband. Shadow Chancellor
Ed Balls, have children now in
secondary school - and both have
talked about the importance of
tackling homophobia in schools,
not just for the children who’re
there, but for the positive impact on
society in general.

Sir Richard backs diversity and

Just as

we^ie

benefited

from

strong

straight

allies, it’s

in my view

that we

ourselves

should

become

allies Ah’

other

oppressed

groups

©benjamincohen

inclusion because it’s the thing
to do, but also because it makes
business sense.

Allies are clearly important in our
battle for rights and acceptance.
Very few of the advances in
equality in this country would’ve
been possible without strong
straight allies. These range from
the brave MPs who voted to make
it legal to be gay in England and
Wales in 1967, despite strong
opposition among their own
parliamentary colleagues, through
to the the rainbow coalition of
David Cameron, Nick Clegg, Ed
Miliband and Alex Salmond, who
by working together, on this one
issue, ensured same-sex marriage
was introduced in England, Wales
and Scotland last year.

Just as we’ve benefited from
strong straight allies, it’s in my
view that we ourselves should
become allies for other oppressed
groups. On this, I’m particularly
thinking of those who’re trans or
wish to conform to no gender at
all. While some gay people are
puzzled by the inclusion of T in
the LGBT acronym, it makes sense
because we’re all allies.

Just like gay people, trans people
have to come to terms with an
identity that defies traditional
expectations and have to go
through the incredibly stressful
process of coming out to their
family and friends. It’s much
worse though, YouGov polling for
PinkNews has found that you’re
twice as likely to be rejected by
your parents if you’re trans than if
you’re gay. These figures will only
be tackled through education and,
of course, us all working together
to fight for equality and acceptance
in wider society.

Fighting for trans rights will
help gay men too in our battle for
acceptance, just like ensuring that
Virgin is a diverse and inclusive
employer helps Sir
Richard Branson to
make more money. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT119

My boyfriend won*t |
have anals5c-^B
should I leave him'^

I’m 33, my partner is 29. We’ve
been together ten years. I love
him to bits but our reiationship is
sexiess, aside from some mutuai
masturbation or orai every now
and again. It’s been like this for
the iast few years.

He doesn’t iike anai - either
giving or receiving. I’ve tried
everything to make it more
pieasurabie for him, but he’s not
interested. This isn’t about sexuai
attraction - he just doesn’t iike it.

The concept of an open
reiationship doesn’t appeai to
him. I’ve talked to him about it,
but he’s happy with the situation
as it is, so doesn’t put much effort

in to try and change. I’ve even
bluntly told him he needs to ‘put
out’ or I’ii end up having an affair.

I recentiy met someone eise I
reaiiy iike and the sex is great.
He’s very sexuai - it makes such
a change from being constantiy
rebuffed. I don’t iove him yet, but
we’re heading in that direction.

I feei iike a compiete bastard.

I iove my partner and don’t want
to hurt him, but I can’t spend the
rest of my iife effectiveiy ceiibate
- I’m 33, not 93!

My partner is very emotionaiiy
and f inanciaiiy dependent on me
and spiitting wouid destroy him,
but I don’t see a soiution that wiii
satisfy us both. Martin, via e-mail

The Guyiiner repiies I think if
you’d written to me a few months
ago, before you’d embarked on a
relationship with someone else. I’d

©theguyliner

probably have said you need to work on
it, get some counselling. What’s quite
telling is that while you say you’re not
yet in love with the guy you’re seeing on
the side, you think it might be heading
that way. Of course, it’s possible to
love two people at the same time, but
this suggests to me that the disconnect
from your long-term partner has already
begun. You still love him, of course, and
have tried to accommodate his different
sexual desires - or lack thereof - but
it seems you are only staying with him
because you think you should. Ten
years is a long time, and it’s great you
got together so young and are still
together, but there’s no long-service
medal for staying in a relationship that,
for whatever reason, isn’t fulfilling your
needs any longer.

You could try asking why your
boyfriend doesn’t like anal sex. For
him not to like either method suggests
there’s something deeper going on. Has
he always avoided anal sex or has this
evolved over time? “I don’t like it” doesn’t
tell you much, but I imagine you don’t
press the issue. Nobody wants to feel
like a bully when it comes to sex. The
bottom line - pardon the pun - is that it’s
important to be happy in a relationship,
and you don’t sound it. You have sought
comfort elsewhere and it appears this
is fulfilling not only your sexual needs,
but your emotional ones too. You can’t
stay with somebody just because they
depend on you; the relationship has
shifted into an almost parental state.

It sounds like you’ve exhausted
every avenue. If sex really is that
important to you, then the best thing
to do is to move on, or you run the
risk of becoming a nag about it to
your boyfriend and, worse, hurting
him should he discover your affairs. If
you really can’t leave your boyfriend,
consider couples’ counselling, or
resign yourself to the fact that sex is
going to have to take a back seat. ■

Need some good old-fashioned advice on matters of iove, iife or reiationships?
Emaii me in totai confidence on theguyiiner@gaytimes.co.uk. I can’t
respond individuaiiy and your emaiis may be edited for use in the magazine.
We won’t use your reai name or pubiish any contact detaiis.

120 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

THE GUYLINER LENDS AN EAR TO
YOUR LIFE DILEMMAS AND DISHES
THE DIRT ON THE UNDATEABLES

[advice]

THE MEN
YOU
SHOULD

[ 01 ]

DATE

The Class Tourist

It’s amazing who
you meet when you’re out
drinking a badly made mojito
out of a jam jar. Thanks to the
uniforms of our various tribes,
be it skinny jeans and a hat or
a t-shirt so tight your nipples
are taking you to a tribunal,
you never know whether you’re
standing next to a bricklayer
or a minor royal. Except, of
course you do - once they open
their mouths. An accent is
a dead giveaway. The Class
Tourist uses accents like some
of us use cockrings or leathers

- they’re his fetish.

Whether he’s the aristo with a

penchant for a bit of rough, or a
working-class hero with a lust
for lords, the Class Tourist is
only interested in you because
of who you aren’t, not who you
are. Watch the snooty one squeal
with delight as you serve him
fish fingers and chips for his
‘tea’! And is that an actual pint
of bitter? Gosh! His lesser-
moneyed equivalent will enjoy
being the bit of trade at a weak-
chinned ‘supper’ and being told
he “scrubs up” well.

But what happens when the
novelty wears off and things
move into relationship mode?
Your friends’ early enthusiasm
quickly evaporates when he
screams “Goal!” in a cut-glass
accent at a football match.

And, sorry posh boys, while
your mother may be over you
being gay, it doesn’t mean
she’s ready to hand you over
to someone who doesn’t know
what a drawing room is.

The solution There’s only one
thing that can possibly make you
level. Yes, that great equaliser

- drag. Either that, or run away
together and live in a Barratt house
and spend your days polishing
your Mondeo - comfortably,
eternally middle-of-the-road. ■

[ 02 ]

The Lazy Shag

Is there anything
worse than getting so carried
away in the attraction to
somebody, only to later realise
that they’re the dreariest shag
you’ve ever had in your entire
life? It’s not that they can’t do
it when they feel like it - it’s
just that they don’t care about
anything other than their own
ejaculation.

“How was it for you darling?”
never even crosses his lips,
because he’s not interested
in what you felt. Once he’s
endured the foreplay you
insist upon before your trackie
bottoms slip to the floor, he’ll
take you in hand for as long as
it takes for him to get to where
he needs to be. If you’re lucky,
he’ll finish you off, but more
often than not, he’ll leave you
with a lump, and not just in
your throat. The kind of lump
that only a trip to the bathroom
with your David Beckham
calendar can fix.

The Lazy Shag is usually
the better-looking half of a
couple. Being the hotter one,
he’s never really had to try
that hard between the sheets
- and he certainly doesn’t see
any reason to start now. By
his reckoning, you should be
HONOURED he’s letting you
get your hands on his goods,
and as for “being there” for
you, well, what more do you
want, exactly? Everything
is express, an absolute
masterpiece in instant
gratification - well, for him,
at least.

The solution There’s a hard
and fast rule when it comes to
doing the nasty - be hard, not
fast. You can gamely delay his
gratification if you feel you’re
up to it, meaning he’ll have no
choice but to make sure you’re
having a good time too. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT121

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BEAUTY IS IN
THE EYE OF
THE BEHOLDER

[positive Mce]

Body image seems

to surround us all on a
daily basis; whenever
we look at a magazine, drool over
the sexy aftershave adverts on our
TVs, even when we hook-up with
someone on a night out - it’s really
not uncommon to subconsciously
analyse what we see in front of
us, reality or fantasy, to our own
conceptions of the ‘ideal’ body.

This has been known for decades,
but does this high regard of flawless
body-image affect LGBT people in a
slightly different way, or is the issue
causing a similar level of stress
among straight people? 1 write this
as a gay man who’s 5ft8 and slim;
some may use the word ‘skinny’ -
depending on their interpretations
of ‘low-muscle tone guys’ and what
derogatory label should be dished
out accordingly.

1 feel sad that the gay community,
in my eyes, has a very narrow mind
when it comes to the perfect body;
I’ve often been told 1 need to go
and grab myself a protein shake
and hit the gym in order to ‘match
the body 1 would gain to the face
that 1 have.’ Yes, seriously. But as a
young gym-phobic man with little

time to build my Adonis temple,
it’s a sad fact that I’ll intentionally
buy jackets with more padding in
the shoulders, to hopefully hide the
skeletal structure 1 was given.

The rise of social media also
seems to be a culprit as it becomes
increasingly apparent how often
labels, based on body type, are
dished out. Even Grindr wants me
to select a ‘tribe’ to tell everyone
‘what 1 am.’ At first, it’d appear 1
should be a twink, but as soon as
my chest hair peeps-out of a low
cut t-shirt 1 seem to transform into
something called a ‘cub.’ Why do 1
have to be anything?

Body perception is now becoming
such an integrated part of the
gay man’s idiolect that everyone
is assigned these labels, and as
an accomplice to this judgment,
phrases such as ‘no bears’ or ‘no
t winks’ are sadly now as common
on Grindr as our names. Even my
lesbian friends feel that their body
type is usually synonymous with a
label of some sort. Fat means butch,
skinny means fern.

1 can’t even imagine how difficult
it’d be to be a larger gay man.

With so much pressure to conform

What
remains
under
dothing
has
always
beena
bonus in
my book.
Maybe il^
time we
sloppy

adh^ng
to the
hypei^
secuaised
world of
perfection

©positiveluke

to what’s expected through our
sexualised society, they have to
endure feeling pushed out of a
crowd that, historically, was our
only crowd to belong to.

I’d be a liar if 1 said 1 wasn’t
annoyed when 1 meet a guy who
never seems to work out, but holds
onto an attractive ‘V’ shape torso
that seems to look brilliant in
practically every item of clothing;
usually thanks to a combination of
fat-burning genes and broad bones.
An ‘attractive’ body will always
remain appealing to us, but 1 often
take great pride in telling friends
that not one of my ex-partners ever
had six-pack abs. 1 always seem to
base my opinions of attractiveness
on a warm smile, a kind heart and
even a charismatic charm.

What remains under clothing
has always been a bonus in my
book, and as a community that
has endured so many stereotypes
throughout the years, maybe
it’s time we stopped adhering
to the hypersexualised world of
perfection and start to focus on
the stereotypes we have for one
another; for a body that’s 6ft2 and
packed with muscle may not always
have the personality we’ll find the
most attractive.

It’s now time we lost the
unworthy connection we hold
onto; that gay men have to look
and act in a particular way in
order to be considered attractive.
We’re only human after all, and if 1
have to wait for the day 1 have less
essays to write for my studies, and
more time to work on my physical
health, then so be it.

Our quest for the perfect body in
our partners and in ourselves is a
quest we’ll always fail in, because
the ‘perfect body’, or even the
‘perfect partner’ will always be
an obstacle that we forever envy
overcoming.

1 think it’s time we realised that
a ‘perfect anything’
never really existed in
the first place. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT123

Tel Aviv 2015

Come ond celebrofe

Pride in Tel Aviv 7-ii* June 2015

LAMBDA HOLIDAYS

www.lambdaholidays.co.uk • Tel: 020 8342 5500 • Email: sales@lambdaholidays.co.uk

[pi brernian]

GOOD MAN Lr J -J

‘So, I’d like you to fix

your hair, your teeth,
get muscular and get
tan,’ she said.

‘But you said you liked the
Robert Pattinson Twilight look 1
had,’ 1 replied.

‘1 know, but now 1 think you look
sickly,’ she sighed, exasperated.
‘And lower your speaking voice,
you’re not convincing anyone.’

I’d been in LA for a few weeks at
that point, but that conversation
with a potential manager was the
most LA thing that had happened
to me so far. It was around this
time last year, or as a certain
miserable portion of television
creatives call it, ‘pilot season.’

For a couple of days afterwards, 1
stayed in LA and took her advice
seriously. Those were simple
enough tasks, right? Just basically
change everything about myself,
including my speaking voice.

1 finally came to my senses - if
LA didn’t want me the way 1 was,
then 1 didn’t want LA. 1 got my
pasty ass back on a plane to New
York City, the concrete jungle and
yada yada yada.

More recently, I’ve been taking

an acting class specifically
designed for LGBT students with
a teacher named Brad Calcaterra.
The class roll covers the queer
spectrum and it’s kind of the
opposite of that meeting in LA.
That lady would’ve had a field
day with my classmates, but
that’s why they’re amazing. The
class mostly explores all the
internalised blocks we’ve set up
to prevent us from delivering
a truthful and embodied
performance. So we cry and
scream and laugh a lot, and it
feels kind of frenetic, but it also
feels alive and perfect.

A few weeks ago, Russell
Tovey talked about masculinity
in the context of his career. It’s
important to highlight that it was
in regards to his job as an actor,
because 1 sadly understood what
he was saying. He’s in a rare
position of being cast as both gay
and straight, a status few homos
are allowed.

I’ll tell you an embarrassing
story. Years back, while 1 was still
in drama school, 1 ran into him
at a club. 1 told him he was my
inspiration for many years for that

Russell

Toueyand

my dad

woidd

probably

havea

similar

idea of

what being

amanis.

Andthal^

fin&But

itdoesrrt

mean

il^ri^i^

andWs

certainly

not mine

©peejaybrennan

very reason and 1 hoped to one
day convincingly play both gay
and straight. Luckily 1 didn’t tell
him 1 loved him, like I’d originally
planned. He shook my hand and
politely wished me a good night,
and for these past five years I’ve
broken my back trying to achieve
that goal.

But now I’m tired of it. My gold
standard for acting, or even life,
shouldn’t be to convincingly play
straight. The minute 1 think like
that is the minute I’m buying into
someone else’s version of what
1 should be. When 1 came out as
gay, my dad sincerely told me
he was scared for me and that
maybe if 1 ‘dressed less gay’ I’d
be safer out there. Russell and my
dad would probably have a pretty
similar idea of what being a man
is. And that’s fine. But it doesn’t
necessarily mean it’s right, and
it’s certainly not mine.

A lot of us are falling for it though,
huh? 1 see countless guys on
Instagram letting me know they hit
the gym for the fifth day in a row.
And I’ll be honest; 1 still look at
my body and don’t like it. The big
beefy dudes seem to be having all
the sex, going to the best parties
and basically living life like it’s
golden. Question: Where does all
their money come from?!

Here’s my issue, in a nutshell:
We’ve spent years internally
abusing ourselves for not
conforming, and now, with
acceptance, we aren’t dismantling
those fears, we’re threading them
into the fabric of our culture.

It’s hard to separate from what 1
once thought of myself, hard not
to hate myself since I’ve done
it for so long, that’s for damn
sure, but for inspiration, 1 go
back to that Vine of the little girl
sipping a cup of tea and saying,

‘1 don’t care if you don’t like me, 1
loooove me.’ And then she winks.

1 love that wink. Stay
real, young lady, 1 will
too. Wink. ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT125

Whether you’re wanting to look good on the beach, shed a few pounds or just
live a healthier lifestyle, email me on fitness@gaytimes.co.uk or tweet me
at @ChrisJonesGeek. I can’t respond to everyone and your emails or tweets
may be edited for use in the magazine. We won’t publish any contact details.

126 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[getfiq

I am injured. Not exactly the
most inspiring opening to a
fitness column but please do
bear with me.

The beginning of 2015 has been,
what can 1 say, unkind to me. 1
embarked, like many do, on a
serious health kick. My diet was
good, 1 had cut down on alcohol
and 1 was visiting the gym three
to four times a week. My sessions
included weight training and the
odd cardio session thrown in. 1
knew what worked for my body
and 1 was happy with the progress.
1 started to notice the results 1
wanted - and within a short time,
too. I’d done this sort of kick
before, but never had 1 noticed
my body changing in such a way.

1 was getting a six-pack, my chest
was toning up and my thighs were
killer. But then...

One Sunday afternoon.

I’d worked on my back and
triceps at the gym. 1 left feeling
accomplished and content with my
workout. All in all, fine. Later that
evening 1 bemoaned a slight pain
in the small of my back. A case of
‘over doing it’ and a minor pull, 1
figured. 1 took some painkillers
and thought nothing of it.

1 awoke Monday morning at Sam
to the most intense pain I’ve ever
had. It spanned from my lower

back, all up my right side and into
my chest. 1 was unable to breathe
properly and it scared the shit out
of me. An ambulance ride later
and a ‘going over’ in A&E revealed
1 had suffered a musculoskeletal
tear in my side. This is a tear to
the system that’s responsible for
moving the skeletal system. So
safe to say this was serious.

For a week 1 suffered muscle
spasms that incapacitated me. 1
was off work and 1 couldn’t move
much. 1 was not getting much
sleep due to the pain - and the
sleep 1 did get was just awful. As
the spasms decreased, 1 noticed
a sudden swelling and discolour
in my right arm. 1 was rushed,
again, to hospital were a blood
clot had developed in my arm.

The staff there were great and
the worry was, ‘has this clot
spread anywhere.’ It had. To my
right lung.

I’m now on a six month treatment
plan for this and it has impacted
my life, at the age of 28, more than
1 thought it could. All because 1
didn’t listen to my body, and didn’t
prepare well for a workout.

This is a cautionary tale. Be
prepared, please. And don’t rush
into any exercise plan without
realistically assessing your abilities
and potential. ■

Bodybuilding Warehouse
Protein Pancakes.
These were brilliant
on pancake day, and
took ALL the guilt
away. Bodybuilding
Warehouse Premium
Protein Pancakes (£8.99
for 500g) contain 22g
of protein and 19g of
low Gl slow-burning
carbohydrates per
serving, which can
reduce the need
to snack. They’re
available in banana
caramel, chocolate
orange and lemon zest. ■

[ask Chris]

Question I’ve
been offered
steroids by some
of my friends. I’ve
always wanted
to be bigger but
I’m scared of the
health risks. What

should I do? -

Simon, via e-mail.

Answer I don’t
know if you read
my column a few
months back on
steroids. They’re
more common than
people think -and
that’s not a, “Yes,
take them” at all. I
can’t preach, but
just asking whether
to take what’s
essentially an
illegal drug is a way
of already saying,

“I know this is
pretty dumb.” ■

butt pert. You can perform these
at home, using just body weight.
I’d recommend doing ten reps of
four to begin with^^^^^^^^^_

[01] Stand "
with your feet
shoulder width
apart and your
hands stretched
out in front for
extra stability.

[ 02 ] Lower
yourself slowly
down by bending
your knees until
they are almost

at a right angle
with your thighs
parallel to the
floor.

[03] Keep your
back straight and
tummy in while
you ‘go down’ -
and don’t let your
knees extend
over your toes.

gaytimes.co.uk

GT127

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[properiy]

After countless days,
months and maybe even
years searching, you’ve
finally found your dream
home. Hell, you’ve even
imagined where you’d
place your furniture and
decided which colour
to paint the bedroom.

But how do you make
sure you bag the place
without blowing the
bank? Here’s a few tips -
and we’ll even teach you
what ‘gazumping’ is...

WORDS SIAN MCLEOD

[01] Lie Yes, yes, lying is bad.

We know. But your estate agent
and the seller want you to spend
as much money as possible, and
will probably show you properties
WAY over your budget. You, on the
other hand, want to get a new home
for the best possible price. So if
you play your cards close to your
chest, lie about your budget - just
a little bit - and be firm about how
much you’re willing to spend, you
might be able to get an absolute
steal. Saves you a few extra quid
for a massive housewarming party.

[02] Start low Estate agents have
to pass on any offer to the seller
- no matter how ridiculous. So
start by offering below the asking
price. Not too far below, though, or
they’ll think you’re taking the piss
and won’t want to accept anything
from you. But low enough so you

can always up the offer a bit later if
they don’t accept. Just don’t bother
blowing all your money on a price
you could’ve negotiated - you don’t
want to start life in your new home
filled with regret.

[03] Research Find out everything
you can about the house, area and
even the seller. We’re not saying
you should go rooting through his
bins, but if the property has mould
or dodgy flooring, you could shave
some much-needed pounds off the
asking price. Find out what other
properties in the area are going
for, too. You could be getting a
bargain, or you could be getting
completely ripped off.

[04] Be available Being a first time
buyer can work to your advantage.
Even though you most likely know
nothing about owning a house, you
have no ties to another property
which could lead to complications.
If you already own a house, though,
make sure it’s on the market before
you start putting offers in on other
properties. Being available makes
you very attractive - when doesn’t
it? - to anyone wanting to sell fast,
so make sure your estate agent
knows your situation and can pass
this on to the seller.

[05] Be cool Don’t get too
excited before you’ve signed and
exchanged contracts! If the seller
knows you love the place, they’ll
know they can probably get more
money out of you - and you never
know what they’re doing while
you’re not looking. ‘Gazumped’
is estate agentese for ‘the seller
screwed you over after accepting
your offer by taking a higher offer
from someone else,’ and there’s
nothing you can do about it unless
you want to up your own offer.
Make sure you ask the seller to
take the place off the market and
get all the legal stuff done ASAP, so
you don’t end up losing a whole lot
of money! ■

gaytimes.co.uk

GT129

• EASTERN BOYS

A film by ROBIN CAMPILLO, writer of Palme d'Or winner 'THE CLASS

EASTERN

BOYS

Available on DVD, Blu-ray and On-Demand amSZOnOO.Uk hmv

hfiwLom

visit us at peccapics.com | ^

^hlu^n "SI P kwely gays]

Our hunt for hot

interiors sets us off
down unexpected
paths. Last year we bumped into
one of our TV design heroes,
the very dashing Oliver Heath,
now an expert in sustainable
design. Not only handsome and
charming, but his passion for
the environment got us thinking.
Can interiors be sustainable and
still be sexy?

We begin with a trip to
the legendary Renaissance
London to meet owner, Owen,
rock god of reclamation.

His fireplaces and lights
are beyond glamorous. His
own home, we find out as he
invites us upstairs, is a sexy
man-pad filled with the very
best in architectural antiques.
Renaissance, we salute you.
Watch this space to see what we
do with the chandelier!

And if we’re talking lighting,
Buster and Punch have
spent two years developing
their new LED Buster Bulb,
revolutionising the traditional
Edison bulb to make eco light
bulbs sexy for the first time.

Good with wood, on the
furniture side of things, is
pioneer, Seb Cox - not only
a master craftsman, but
passionate about nature and our
impact on it. His Underwood
collection is the first of its
kind to come with carbon
footprint credentials. His latest
project aims to create a giant
experiential sculpture that has
a carbon footprint smaller than
an iPhone 6. Good luck with that
Seb. We know you won’t need it.

As for us, in between client
projects and renovating our
new house, we couldn’t resist
the #PimpMyFrench charity
challenge. In line with our
new found love for all things
sustainable, we were asked
by Out There Interiors to take
a shabby piece of faux French
furniture - a storage bench - and
‘pimp’ it. How could we resist?
We got together with designer/
metalwork artist. Primary Grey,
using scrap from his workshop
to create our finished design.
Sustainability, it
seems, can be fun AS
WELL as sexy. ■

01 Buster Bulb, £39.99, busterandpunch.com

02 #PimpMyFrench bench. Designed by 2lovelygays in collaboration
with Primary Grey for Out There Interiors

03 Crown Candelabra, from £35, sebastiancox.co.uk

04 Architectural salvage, renaissanceLondon.com

gaytimes.co.uk

GT131

The trend for new design
inspired by shapes of the
past continues. The iook
is stiii contemporary and
ciean - for those of you
worried about a chintz
revivai and -yes, the 80 s
counts as retro now too

[ 02 ]

132 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[home]

01

The dining tabies

Traditional French elegance
sharpened with sliced neon
highlights. Eye-catching
detail that allows pieces
to be pushed together.
Mogg Chez Philippe dining
tables, £3,300,
gomodern.co.uk

02

The pendant

Sleek chrome pendant
that evokes the chic
dinner parties of the 70s.
Fondue anyone? Boule
Pendant Light Chrome,
£59, made.com

03

The dispiay storage

Hints of 60s and 70s
pattern made contemporary
by light ash. Perfect as a
set-piece space divider.
Polygon shelving unit,
£299, made.com

04

The ciub armchair

Bold, mid-century comfort
perfect for late-night.
Mad Men-inspired
whiskey and cigar alone
time. BLOC Club, £595,
hopperandspace.com

05

The giass tabie

Timeless combination of
wood and glass, stylish
enough to be in a coffee
table book. Juwel coffee
table by TEAM 7, £1,181,
wharfside.co.uk

06

The bistro chair

A twist on the classic,
brought up-to-date with
matt grey plastic. Parki
Grey Chair, £50,
habitat.co.uk

07

The ovai tabie

Smooth 50s elegance
in a sociable oval shape
with room for ten. Argo
dining table, £1,490,
gomodern.co.uk

08

The snuggiing sofa

Welcoming mid-century
curves. Both simple and
comfortable. Jonah three-
seater sofa, £599,
made.com

09

The pop art

Luscious plastic pop
statement armchair that’s
in the permanent collection
of the V&A. RM58 classic
armchair, £645,
limelace.co.uk

10

The perfect host

High-end reinvention of the
hostess trolley freshened
by Nordic attention to
detail. Danish serving
trolley, £1,500,
wharfside.co.uk

In the 80s, Ikea famousiy toid us to ‘‘chuck out
your chintz” and were pioneers in bringing sharp
modern design to the masses. Retro experts
Hopper and Space search high and iow for
originais and teii us about the appeai of eariy Ikea

Some 80s Ikea
pieces have built
up a cult following in
recent years - and with
their sharp minimal style,
it isn’t hard to see why.

Reputable Scandinavian
designers were employed
to come up with super
stylish yet inexpensive
pieces. Although mass
produced for a throwaway
market, a handful of these
designs have stood the test
of time and, for us, are as
fresh and relevant today.

Produced in their millions

and casually discarded
over the years, good
examples are incredibly
tricky to track down.

We adore the work of
Niels Gammelgaard, who
was inspired by a visit
to a supermarket trolley
factory and used the same
technology in his designs.
Our favourites of his are
the OTI chair, above, and
the basket-style Jarpen
chair. Both have crisp,
linear designs and are a
great way to add a H H
bit of 80s cool. ■

Original OTI and Jarpen chairs, £375 each, hopperandspace.com. As
with all individual collectables it’s first-come first-served. Check back
with Hopper and Space for information on new finds.

gaytimes.co.uk

GT133

[life:

ifel

m

\K€

u

nik..

I wonder how many of you have been body
shamed? Been made to feel ashamed for not
having the perfect body or having a six-pack?
When I was 19, 1 weighed almost 20 stone and
became used to a fair amount of verbal abuse!

I lost the weight before I turned 21. But, lets be
honest, I work with cake seven days a week,

I’m not skinny by any stretch of the imagination
and to some people that makes it acceptable to
look down on me. It’s only been with time that I
realised I couldn’t care less what other people
thought and that I’m happy in my own skin
so, unashamedly, this recipe is definitely not
diet-friendly or low carb. It IS, however, bloody
delicious. And, as I like to remind myself, a
little bit of what you fancy does you good!

Chocolate Bundt with Bourbon
Butterscotch

Chocolate Bundt
250g unsalted butter
200ml buttermilk
80g cocoa powder
400g light brown sugar
4 large eggs
350g plain flour
1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Bourbon Butterscotch Glaze
ISOg light brown sugar
150ml double cream
lOOg unsalted butter
Large pinch of flaked sea salt
100ml bourbon
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

To make the cake, preheat the oven
to 180° (160° fan), grease a large
bundt tin with oil and dust with cocoa
powder, tapping out any excess.

Set the tin onto a baking tray and
put aside. To make the cake batter,
place the butter into a saucepan
and cook over medium heat until
melted, remove from the heat and
add the buttermilk and the cocoa
powder, whisking until smooth.

Pour this mixture into a large bowl

and add the sugar and eggs - again,
whisking until smooth. In a separate
bowl, whisk together the flour and
bicarbonate of soda. Add the dry
ingredients to the wet and, briefly
but thoroughly, whisk together to
form a smooth cake batter. Pour
this into the prepared pan and bake
in the preheated oven for 40-45
minutes - or until a skewer inserted
into the cake comes out clean. Allow
the cake to cool in the pan for five
minutes before carefully inverting
onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the butterscotch, place the
sugar, cream and butter into a large
saucepan and - over medium/high
heat - cook for about five minutes
before adding the remaining
ingredients, and cooking for another
two-three minutes, or until you have
a smooth caramel. Set aside until
the cake has cooled and the
butterscotch has thickened to a
custard like consistency. To finish,
pour the butterscotch all over the
cake. Kept covered this will keep for
about four days. ■

Author of The Boy Who Bakes, Say It With
Cake and Patisserie Made Simple,
©theboywhobakes

134 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[food]

Eat, drink and be healthy!

How many times

have you been told
that breakfast is
the most important
meal of the day? But
who has the time to
make avocado and
scrambled eggs
every morning?

Well, now there’s
NOSH Super
Brekkie to shake
up your morning.
Convenient, healthy
and made from

quinoa, yoghurt
and real fruit - so
it’s tasty, too. Now
there’s really no
excuse. On sale in
Tesco and Holland
& Barratt stores
nationwide priced
£2.50, noshdrinks.
com ■

...and keeping
with the healthy
bodies theme,
we’re also keen on

new drink range
Jools. So named
as the drinks have
delicate, kelp-based
pearls - called
jools - nestled at the
bottom of the bottle,
filled with essential
vitamins and
nutrients. Available
in apple, cranberry
and mango
green tea. In
stores nationwide
priced £1.99 ■

Sunny Spelt Pizzas

Serves 6-10

650g strong white flour
300g spelt flour
10g fast-action, dried yeast
75ml rapeseed oil
500-550ml water
Toppings and sauce of your
choice

Sonnetinnes sunnnner creeps up in
mysterious ways and teases you
with a taster of brighter days to
come. Sometimes it also disappoints
and feels as brutal as winter... Go
figure. No matter which warm month,
everyone wants to eat a bit lighter
and take advantage of the bounty
of fresh ingredients at your disposal
once spring segues into summer.

One of our favourite - and most
frugal - recipes is spelt pizza. Great
for a group, this dough works a treat
- it freezes and defrosts effortlessly
and can equally be enjoyed cold
on an al fresco picnic or blazingly
hot straight from the oven, enjoyed
at the table. We love to make more
elongated, rectangular-shaped
pizzas rather than one big round,
but it’s completely up to you how
you shape.

Weigh out everything but the wet
ingredients in a large mixing bowl,
making sure to keep the yeast and
salt at opposite ends. Add the oil
and then begin to add the water,
swirling your hand in the mixture to
incorporate everything. Keep adding
water until you’ve got sticky but
workable dough. Tip out onto the
work surface and begin to knead.

Stretch and elongate the dough to
strengthen the gluten. Work for a
good 10-15 minutes until the dough
is smooth and elastic, but you can
use a stand mixer if you have one
and use the time to get some spritz
cocktails on the go! Prove for about
30 minutes.

Next, divide into eight. At this point
you can put the dough into sandwich
bags and freeze or pop into the
fridge, and you can do this two to
three days before the occasion.
Flavour in dough develops with time.

When ready to bake, preheat the
oven to as hot as possible with a
large, flat, heavy tray or stone. Take
out the portions of dough you need
and dust the work surface with a
mix of flour and polenta. Stretch, or
roll, your dough slowly and carefully
as you ease it into shape. It will feel
light, thin and stretched but will hold
its shape if teased out correctly.

When to size, place the dough into
the flour and polenta and begin to add
your sauce and toppings. The best
thing about pizzas is they can satisfy
the most adventurous and the most
cautious eater in the same sitting, so
get people involved and allow them to
top with whatever they like.

Quickly take out the sheet, put the
pizza on and bake for 12-18 minutes,
until crisp and dry on the edges, with
the topping melted and crisp in the
middle. Serve hot. We like to drizzle
some chilli-infused honey and
freshly ground black pepper. ■

Gastro Gays are Patrick Hanlon and
Russell Alford. For more visit
gastrogays.com, ©gastrogays

gaytimes.co.uk

GT135

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I

With more same-sex couples walking
down the aisle, or converting their
civil partnerships, one of the main
stumbling blocks is children. Do we,
or do we not, invite them? It’s up to
you and your partner. Kristen Harding,
childcare expert at tiniescreches.
com, shares her top tips for having
kids attend your special day.

Muention span

Children have short
attention spans and
need to be kept
busy. Having to sit
through two hours of
speeches is pushing
your luck. We suggest
you include them in
specific parts of the
day, providing them
with break time and

space.

K^rnyiWe know
health and safety
can go too far, but
in the interest of
limiting disaster and
maintaining your
beautiful venue, think
about the heights of
your decorations if
there are toddlers
about. Whether it’s
flower arrangements
to trip over or wisps
of fabric to pull down,
keep things out of
reach.

[ 03 ],

al time

When it comes to
food - go simple.
Some children will eat
a posh salmon steak
and sauteed potatoes
in an agave and pesto
sauce; but most will
turn up their noses in
disgust. Have simple
choices for children
and don’t expect
them to eat the same

thing as the adults.
Having said that,
avoid sauces. Nothing
ruins a fancy dress
faster than brightly
coloured condiments.
Plus, think about your
seating arrangements
- while it can be nice
to have all the children
together, it’s also likely
they’ll be too loud and
more mischievous
together. Don’t forget
to have a supervisor
for the children during
mealtimes. Be this
Uncle Jo or some hired
help.

mertainment

[ 04 ]

There’ll always be a
time during the day
when children need
entertaining. You
might decide to do this
yourself, or consult help
to handle it for you. It’s
a really good tip to have
a space the children
can go to - perhaps
a separate room or
a special part of the
marquee. Having a
variety of activities for
different age groups is
important, as is making
sure the children are
safely supervised. Why
not try fancy dress, or
supply some children’s
books and magazine?
Or for the really
adventurous - a good
ol’ fashioned scavenger
hunt.

136 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

« We met each other

in 2008 and after
seven years together,
and opening up our own business
Vintage Street Cornwall, we
decided we were ready to apply
for adoption.

We had so many fears and
worries about adoption because of
the haunting stories and our own
bad experiences in our childhood.
The last thing we wanted was for
this to affect our chances. But,
after enquiring, they set our minds
at ease and arranged a home visit.

The first meeting was to give
an idea of who we were and our
reasons for wanting to adopt. We
were asked questions about our
backgrounds from birth until
now and, after talking about
our childhoods, she said that
we haven’t said anything that
would stop us entering adoption
and that everyone had a past.

We were so relieved. This first
meeting took around three
hours, the time flew by.

We later got a call to say we’d
successfully been entered onto
stage one of the adoption process
and we’d been placed on an
induction training day for the
following week. The feeling of
calling our families to tell them

we’d been entered into stage one
of adoption was just amazing.

The following week we attended
the adoption training day and the
experience was overwhelming. We
learned a whole range of subjects,
met other potential adopters and
even watched a DVD of children
awaiting adoption which made the
whole experience very real to us.

After gathering our references
and medicals, we’re now waiting
to see if we’ve been successful in
entering stage two of the process -
the final stage. Stage one has taken
us two months and the final stage is
said to take a further four months.
Then, it’s just the matching.

Our advice for anyone wanting
to adopt or foster is to just pick up
the phone and make the first call.
Social workers are fantastic and the
support is even better. They really
don’t care if you’re LGBT. All they
care about is if you can provide
a loving home for a child. Even if
you’re unemployed, low wage or
single, you can still adopt.

It’s also important for us to point
out that there’s absolutely loads
of online support and groups for
LGBTs wanting to adopt, so use
them and research
as much as you can
beforehand. ■

Is your pup feeling a little under the weather?
Lily’s Kitchen has the answer. Their new recovery
recipe wiii have your dog back to its normai happy
seif in no time. Gentie on the stomach and made
with naturai ingredients, even the sickest puppy
wiii be abie to handie this food and quickiy get
back to their totaiiy adorabie/mischievous seif.
Deiete as appropriate, of course. ■

Priced £2.49, lilyskitchen.co.uk

Nothing ssms romance iike chocalate f and Choc
on Choc’s new wedding coiiectiovwmy just be
the perfect “I do.” From champagne ice cream
truffie cones to heart ioiiies, these bespoke
choccies and handmade treats are a feast for
aii romantic occasions. Ceiebrating your big day
never tasted so good. ■

Prices range from £3 to £100, find your favourite at choconchoc.co.uk

gaytimes.co.uk

GT137

WORDS MIKE HIRD

138 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

[travel]

Newquay has a
bit of a reputation
as a hen and
stag haven - and
it’s tnie that
the town itseif
isn’t exactiy a
Cornish gem. But
enough chiMhood
memories of the
wiid coast and
endiess sandy
beaches have
ieft their maik.

So when the
prosp^ of storm
watching at the
gioriously gothic
Headiand Hotei
reared its head, it
seemed too good
an offer for us to
pass up. And the
perfect chance to
visit a beautHui
partoftheworid
when the parties
and piss-ups have
gone home for
winter...

Perched, as the name suggests,

on the headland at the edge of
Newquay Town, the Headland
stands in judgment over Fistral
Beach and in a great position
to witness the seasons change
in dramatic Technicolor as the
Atlantic hurls animated diva
strops at the rock-strewn beaches.
Offering contemporary and
traditional rooms - and a clutch of
beautiful luxury cottages for those
wanting a little more freedom -
the Headland is a grand old lady,
but one who’s just about got to
grips with modern life. And if
you’re worried that it might not
be ‘gay enough’, the Headland
was also the backdrop to the

iconic film version of Roald Dahl’s
perennial favourite The Witches

- so feel free to rip off your wig
and scream, “1 smell children!”
at any point. And for added, well,
something, there’s even a LEGO
replica of the hotel that a former
guest spent far too long creating.
Something for everyone!

Dinner in the main restaurant
is a formal affair - although The
Terrace offers a more relaxed
option with gastropub staples

- but impressively so. Maitre d’
Christoph - who smelled great,
by the way - filleted a brilliant
Dover sole at the table - a nice
bit of old fashioned theatre -
but modern fine dining dishes
like the crab pasta and a tuna
carpaccio with melon held their
own, too. The chefs make the
most of the produce Cornwall
offers and the food sings as a
result.

A definite nod to the present
comes in the form of the multi-
million pound spa that can be
found, complete with its own
sheltered terrace, in a bright,
peaceful lower ground floor.
Award-winning and created with
a pleasing eye for detail, the spa
offers everything you’d expect -
including brilliantly bracing deep
tissue massages - to knock away
the cobwebs the Atlantic winds
can’t reach.

As fate would have it, the
weather during our visit was
unseasonably warm and sunny
so there wasn’t much storm
watching to be had. That didn’t
mean drama was in short supply,
though, as the environment can’t
help but be breathtaking.

A coastal view meant we
woke to crashing waves
every morning and a possibly
misjudged eagerness meant we
ended up in them. Dan, a lovely
surfer from Cadiz who relocated
to Newquay with nary a word of
English in him, can be found at
the Fistral Beach Surf School,

less than five minutes from the
Headland. Now fluent, he’s the
best teacher an unfit lunk from
London could’ve hoped for.
Against the odds, and with us
being totally novice, Dan had
us nearly surfing after just two
hours, and totally invigorated
for the rest of the trip as a result.
Practically unable to move the
day after, but hey, we can’t
recommend enough.

Newquay’s reputation as a
party town doesn’t extend
to any gay bars and it isn’t
exactly picture box Cornwall,
either. There are plenty of
pubs however, ranging from
mammoth family-orientated
places like The Fort, which also
prides itself on a great menu
of locally sourced goodies, to
the more ‘shooters and scary
cocktails’ end of the spectrum.
The working harbour offers
one or two hidden gems, too,
like The Boathouse, presided
over by the fabulous Nettie. A
vision in fuchsia who’ll up-sell
the shit out of you given half a
chance, she and her brilliant fish
restaurant should be a Newquay
institution if they aren’t already.
With reggae playing out into
the harbour. The Boathouse is a
must-visit and it’s roasted crab
claws a messy must-have.

We visited from Friday to
Sunday. Newquay might seem
like a long haul for a short trip,
but with connections from
Gatwick with Flybe, you can be
there in little over an hour for the
same price as a train ticket. And
who doesn’t love some pursed-
lipped grandeur mixed with
genuinely warm and friendly
service? Not to mention some of
the most spectacular scenery
the United Kingdom has to offer.
Storm or no storm. ■

GT travelled with Flybe, flybe.com/
newquay. GT stayed at The Headland
Hotel, headlandhotel.co.uk
GT surfed with Fistral Beach Surf School,
fistralbeachsurfschool.co.uk

GT139

Islas Wt#

MASPAIOAiVAS

COfTA CANARIA

GranCanaria Canarias^«C LOPESAN SAN ROQUE

eliil!

tablero

Shopping Center
yaspalomas

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8- 17 May

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0

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AXELBEACH

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gaypridemaspalomas.com

HOLIDAYS

GT HOLIDAYS

To advertise in this section contact Jo Vasconcelos Tel 020 7424 7451 E-mail jo@gaytimes.co.uk
Deadline for next issue 21 April

QUINTA FENIX

LUXURY BED AND BREAKFAST IN THE ALGARVE, PORTUGAL

Come and enjoy a wonderful holiday in The Algarve, Portugal. Try
somewhere new and discover the beautiful beaches, restaurants, bars
and friendly people that this region has to offer.

Our villa. Quinta Fenix, is located in a small hamlet surrounded by
forest and farmland between Almancil and Vale do Lobo, and is just a
5 minute drive to all local beaches. Vale do Lobo and Quinta do Lago
resorts are a few minutes drive away and offer wonderful and varied
bars, restaurants, nightclubs, beaches, shopping, golf, tennis and
horse riding.

At Quinta Fenix, you can be sure of a relaxing break. Our new large
salt water pool basks in sunshine from early morning to early evening.
With only 2 guest rooms, a superking ensuite and a twin with private
adjoining shower room, you can be sure of your choice of sun lounger,
giant beanbag or place in the shade without getting up at 7am to ‘bag’
your spot! Snacks are available during the day and BBQ nights can
be arranged. There are no TV’s in the rooms, we hope would you prefer
the sound of the birds singing, the sheep baaaa’ing and the breeze in
the trees!

Faro International Airport is a 20 minute drive away. Car hire is highly
recommended as we are approximately 2km to the nearest public
transport although taxis can be arranged.

The villa is strictly adult only and non-smoking throughout the property
and the grounds. We are open from Easter until early Qctober and
our prices are the same throughout the season. During July and
August, a minimum 3 nights stay is required and a minimum 2 nights
stay is required for all other months. We are not an exclusive GLBT
accommodation, we welcome everyone!

Janine, Alison and their two small dogs, Molly and Daisy, look forward
to welcoming you to our home.

For more information or to book your stay, please contact us on the
following:

Email us at: quintafenix@yahoo.com
Website: www.quintafenix.com
Telephone: 00351 91 66 40 961

gaytimes.co.uk

GT141

To advertise in this section contact Jo Vasconcelos Tel 020 7424 7451 E-mail jo@gaytimes.co.uk

Amsterdam / Netherlands Greece

hotel

AMISTAD)

Amster

PC’s in Every Room!

In the center of gay Amsterdam
New renovated rooms
Private keys
Color TV/ Private Safe
Fridge/ phone in room
Breakfast till 1 p.m incl.

Kerkstraat 42 • tel +31 20 624 80 74
www.amistad.nl •jnfo@amistad.nl

Spain

HTIIONOS GREECE

area school of tine arts S4S 00 n^yhanoS'greece
lei: + 3022890 23952, 24210, 24684 tax: + 3022890 23747
winter tel.; +30210 9237410 moh.; 6945 874435
email: into@elvstumhatel.cDm www.efysiumhotel.cDm

ON THE BEACH

Sitges On The Beach Holiday &

Special Function Villa and Apartments...

Affordable & Flexible Luxury Beachfront
Apartments. Right on the 'Famous Balmins Beach’
Sitges near Barcelona.

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HOUDAY
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ideal holiday
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for over 23 years.

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on:

020 7424 7451

PROWLER

TRUSTED FOR 40 YEARS

FOR ALL YOUR SUMMER,
SPORT & SWIMWEAR
VISIT US IN-STORE

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020 7734 4031

BRIGHTON 1 12 St James St, BN2
ITH, 01273 683 680

OR ONLINE

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142 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

HOLIDAYS

South Africa

The Glen now boasts a beautiful Penthouse. Stay in the
luxurious top floor Penthouse overlooking the city towards
the sea and of course our two magnificent swimming pools,
and outdoor Jacuzzi.

With direct lift access to the apartment, it comes complete
with your very own lounge/dining room, kitchen, study area
and 360 degree balcony.

There’s no excuse not to pamper yourself and stay in this
one off room with a view!

3 THE GLEN, SEA POINT, CAPE TOWN SOUTH AFRICA
T. +27 (0)21 439 0086 E. INFO@GLENHOTEL.CO.ZA

WWW.GLENHOTEL.CO.ZA

★ ★★★

UhE one 8

hotel

****

www.theone8.com

tel: +27 21 434 6100
reservations@theone8.com

Green Point Cape Town South Africa

“Come relax and enjoy the great
hospitality and atmosphere of this modern
and intimate hotel.

fully licensed bar heated swimming
pooi, jacuzzi, air conditioned^

& close to everywhere you want to be."

Bath

Bournemouth

Burghope manor

Winsley, Bradford-on-Avon, near Bath, Wiltshire, BA15 2LA
www.burghopemanor.co.uk

Great base to explore Both, Wells, Longleot, Stonehenge,
Notional Trust sites...

Tasteful en-suite rooms, friendly atmosphere, home-cooked meals

Contact Alan or Peter (ex of LEIGH HOUSE)
tel:+44-(0) 1 225 - 72021 6 email: enquiries@burghopemanor.com

WWW. lie wbii ry hotei . n el

iNewburyHotel

Bournemout!

Gay- Friendly

Best in Bonrnemoulh

Free Car
forking

Free Wi-Fi

Phone Dlrecl
for rOVAi.TY
DISCOUNT

Reserva lions: 01 202 297000
or i nfo®newhury hotei. nel
83 St Michaels Road
Bournemouth
8H2 SDR

Bournemouth Dorset

HAMILTOit

HALL

MEN ONLY HOTEL
As seen on TV

Communify Retreat Style Hotel
luxury Rooms
BB&EM

Numerous Chill Out Rooms

One Table for oil meats
- Together

HUGE DIARY OF EVENTS
Free WiFr / Parking

go ymBn@ho mi Iton h a 1 1. i nl o
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BOUTIQUE BED AND BREAKFAST

Three en suite rooms. Naturist sun terrace. Secure parking.

In historic town, within walking distance of many good restaurants.

Contact Gary or Phil on 07795 461247
WWW. wa 1 1 edga rdendor sat . com

gaytimes.co.uk

GT143

To advertise in this section contact Jo Vasconcelos Tel 020 7424 7451 E-mail jo@gaytimes.co.uk

Standard

Room

Brighton

A seafront hotel a bar, a terrace & a club under one roof

and the whole of gay Brighton on your doorstep!

I Scan

QR code

5 for deals

WWW . legendsbrighton . com
31-34 Marine Parade, Brighton BN2 ITR
Tel: 01273 624462 Fax: 01273 624470

. _ , CEIItflCATE Of

[(^lEXfiELUNCEfOn

Edinburgh

Edinburgh's only
guesthouse for gay men
^5 Alv^ Place, Edinburgh
0845 257 1475

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y^partments

Stylish modern liv|hji|
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!n-room*rV, DVD and
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of the aavTi II

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0131 556 5094

www^villageapartmentsxo.uh

Inver lodge hotel

Lochinver. Sutherland
IV27 4LU

Tel. (C1671) 044496
fax, (01571)844395
Web site : www.InverttHJge.com
E-mail : stay ©invedodge .com

The hotel combines modem
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Our backdrop the great pe^a of
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■< ►

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144 GT

gaytimes.co.uk

HOLIDAYS

North Oxfordshire

Adams

Gay Run Clothes Optional Guest House

Accommodation and Day Visits
Massage • Sauna • Hot Tub • Secluded Gardens

Ideal location for visiting Oxford,
Cotswolds & Shakespeare Country

Torquay

HOTEL HUDSOW

Gaij owned - gay friendly neair gay jxifas, ekihe gj eauna ■

Corfipfete^ r^^ljfehBcf * Eivsuite rioortis nfiosf uuifh sea viitua
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545 Bsbfcacombe Road, Torauau TQl ITIQ
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Torquay

Daddyhole Sauna ^

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Steam ^ Free entry
„ for residents

Rest Rooms

DVD Lounge

Mini Gym

TV Lounge

Smoking Area

Outdoor Swimming Pool

The largest in house facilities in UK

New Years Ew
Lavish buffet
(Disco in ^oms <Sar till4am
Ucheted event £1 0 in advance
£15 on the night _

^^artyhiThms^^

Hotel & Bar

Key West is a private members club
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Contact Nfck or Graham

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f \

gaytimes.co.uk

GT145

To advertise in this section contact Jo Vasconcelos Tel 020 7424 7451 E-mail jo@gaytimes.co.uk

ATOZ

To advertise in this section contact Jo Vasconcelos Tel 020 7424 7451 E-mail jo@gaytimes.co.uk
Deadline for next issue 21 April

CLASSIFIED FEATURE

UNDERSTAND YOUR RIGHTS AT WORK

BEING GAY IS WHO YOU ARE. IF YOUR EMPLOYER DOESN’T UNDERSTAND, IT’S TIME TO SEE AN EMPLOYMENT LAWYER.

Sex discrimination at work has been illegal since 1975, race discrimination since 1976 and
until 2003 for sexual orientation discrimination to receive equal protection by law.

The good news is that today’s protection under the Equality Act 201 0 is wide-reaching.

Ten things you should know about gay rights at work:

1 . You have rights from day 1 of your employment. In fact, your rights exist even before that -
during the job application and interview process.

2. You can still be employed and bring a claim for sexual orientation discrimination at work.

3. Most people are protected, including employees, soldiers, partners, police officers and some self-
employed contractors.

4. It is unlawful to be bullied or harassed because you are gay.

5. Unlawful treatment can also include not being promoted because you are gay or in a civil partnership
or being refused dependant’s leave for your civil partner or husband.

6. The protection applies if the treatment is because you have a gay friend or family member. It
also applies where people are perceived to be gay and are treated less favourably on that basis.

7. Unlawful treatment can be very subtle. Ignoring someone at work can potentially be a form of
discrimination.

8. Surprisingly, discrimination is sometimes legally justified, for instance where there

is an occupational requirement for employees to be of a particular sexual orientation.

9. ‘Positive action’ is lawful in certain circumstances - this is where individuals who are
underrepresented in the workplace are given more favourable treatment e.g. promotion.

10. Compensation for successful discrimination claims in the Employment Tribunal is unlimited. It
includes financial loss and injury to feelings.

disability discrimination since 1995. It took

Disaimination at Work Lawyers

QualitySolidtors
Burroughs Day

Who are we and how can we help?

We are employment law experts. Our
employment team specialises in discrimination
at work.

We provide confidential, practical advice.
Employment law is a complex area of law that
we understand inside out.

If you have experienced or are experiencing
discrimination in the workplace, it is important
that you take advice from an expert. Our track
record speaks for itself: we have successfully
acted for a number of employees experiencing
problems at work on the grounds of sexual
orientation.

We offer free first advice on all employment
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